


A Change in Christmas

by GoldenS0422



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Romantic Fluff, The Princess Switch AU, i mean i guess its fluff if i even know how to write fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28118838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenS0422/pseuds/GoldenS0422
Summary: She’s preparing a giveaway shop for the popular charity she inherited from her parents, whereas she’s set to marry to dashing heir to the Coruscant throne. For a Christmas season, they’re stacked with things to do. Part of them wanted to hold off on it and take a break, but they were doing well to resist the urges.Now, they just had to meet each other, didn’t they?
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Sabé, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 20
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Sat in her recently decorated office, Padmé was drowning in thought. Only a few months ago did she inherit the Christmas charity that was the Naberrie Foundation from her parents, and up until today, she still wondered why she had gotten it so early. She was only 24 years old, and her parents were still more than capable to run it at their age, namely being in their early 60s, at least as far as she was concerned. Like the ambitious woman she was, she wanted to hit the ground running and do something big for a first Christmas where she was in charge. The only problem was she didn’t know what thing she could do differently.

She knew they would always open up a giveaway shop in Lower Coruscant in a building which they actually owned during Christmas, and it would stay open until New Year’s Eve. It was also nothing but right as their headquarters was set up in Lower Coruscant, roughly only a few blocks away from the building. Still, she wanted to try something different for this year’s Christmas, especially with her now being the one behind the wheel. She knew that whatever it is that she might come up with, it might need more money, but she also knew that the organization was likely more than capable of using up however much money they need.

Then, she could hear the comical _ding_ sound off in her head when she came up with an idea. If the charity only really opened up the giveaway shop in Lower Coruscant, she could always try opening one up elsewhere by renting out a place in another city. If she was daring enough, she could even try opening one up in the capital of Coruscant: Galaktica. There would be much more children and adults there who might take interest, and it would also make them much more known within the nation, and that’s assuming they weren’t already well-known.

Too lazy to go downstairs, she instead decided to call Obi-Wan, a longtime member of the organization and now taking on a managing role.

_OBI-WAN: Hello?_

_PADME: Obi._

_OBI-WAN: Padmé._

_PADME: Hey, uh, could you go to my office for a bit? I just wanna talk to you about something I have in mind._

_OBI-WAN: Of course, I’ll be right there._

_PADME: Thanks, bye._

The call ended, and Padmé leaned back as she waited for Obi-Wan to come in.

A few minutes passed before two knocks came on the door, and it creaked as someone pushed it open. Someone peeked inside, and as expected, it was Obi-Wan.

“May I…come in?”

Padmé nodded, “Yeah, come on in.”

Obi-Wan sat down in front of her, a casual smile on his face, “So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Well, I wanted to talk about our plans for our giveaway shop for this Christmas, and I want to talk about a few things I want different to it,” she answered. “I guess you have the time?”

“Of course.”

“I noticed not long ago that…we’ve always only had our giveaway shops here in Lower Coruscant…for very obvious reasons, of course, but I was thinking that…maybe we could try elsewhere?”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“We open up a shop in someplace that _isn’t_ Lower Coruscant. I was thinking maybe even in, uh, Galaktica?”

He scoffed, “You’re thinking about opening one up in the capital of Coruscant?”

“Yes,” she frowned before nodding. “Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“I mean, you are basically just asking for the use of double the trailers to take our stuff there,” Obi-Wan replied. “Can we even handle something like that? Besides, is there something wrong with just setting up shop here in Lower Coruscant?”

“No, no,” she shook her head vigorously. “It’s just that I wanna try something new, try something different, and for a first time being in charge, I wanna go big.”

Obi-Wan frowned, “You can still go big even in Lower Coruscant.”

“I-I…just want to try something different,” she stammered. “I want to go big. I want to go all-out for my first Christmas in charge. You get what I mean, right?”

Obi-Wan sighed before nodding, “Yes, I get what you mean.”

“So, do you agree to this? I know I should talk to more people, but you know I wanna talk to you about it first.”

Obi-Wan hummed and stroked his beard as he thought of his response, and the longer he hummed, the more he stuttered.

“Does it sound like a good idea?”, Padmé prompted. “Come on, what do you say?”

He sighed and nodded, “Alright, yes, I think it’s a fine idea.”

She squealed and pumped her fist, “YEAH! Thank God, I thought you weren’t going to agree to it.”

Obi-Wan sighed once again before rolling her eyes.

He then muttered under his breath, “I really wasn’t going to agree to it, goodness’ sake.”

She clapped her hands, “Great, so what now?”

“Uh, aren’t you supposed to talk to other people about this?”

“Ah, right,” she giggled. “My bad. Anyway, yeah, I will, and maybe I should show this in a meeting as well. I should probably talk to Emma for the finance and all, and after her, I can talk Vanessa to deal with all the donations.”

“Mhm.”

“Oh, uh, is Ahsoka gonna be joining us?”, she asked. “I think she’d love to join us in this, and it would be nice father-daughter bonding time for you two.”

Obi-Wan shrugged, “I will talk to her about it.”

Padmé smiled softly, “Okay.”

“I think she would also love some aunt-niece bonding time,” he added, a small smile on his own face.

“I’m not her aunt.”

He leaned over to pat her shoulder, “You’re her _honorary_ aunt, but in all honesty, you deserve that title either way. Not to mention, you have all the qualities of an aunt.”

“Does that include always going against the decision of the parent?”, she raised an eyebrow, smirking.

He laughed before nodding, “Yes, that and spoiling them rotten when you have the chance to be together. The clearest, most obvious, and definitive signs of an aunt.”

She laughed too, “I guess I can’t really disagree with that.”

“I don’t think Ahsoka really cares on if you’re honorary or not though.”

“I think she doesn’t,” Padmé agreed. “I don’t, for sure.”

“I do wish I could…upgrade that or something.”

She scoffed, “What? Like a promotion?”

He shrugged, “Perhaps.”

She chuckled, “That would be nice, but like I said, I am happy with where I am.”

“If that is the case, I am happy, too,” he replied softly before standing up. “Well, are we, uh, done here?”

“Oh, yes,” she nodded vigorously. “If you need to, you can always go now. I’m really just going to take a break now before I continue, so yeah, you can go now if you need to.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “Right, well, I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, bye,” he turned around to leave the room.

“Bye,” she replied weakly, and she watched as the door shut close as Obi-Wan left. When Obi-Wan left, she reached for her cellphone on the desk, and she sat back as she began typing something in.

____________________

Padmé had to meet up with a good amount of people to sort out the whole idea of setting up the giveaway shop in Galaktica instead of the usual Lower Coruscant. They already had a large amount of donations that they get all throughout a good amount of the year, and they had a large sum of money earned from the charity shops that they opened up from all across Lower Coruscant. Not to mention, most of the staff were willing to go to Galaktica to set up the giveaway shop as long as they would be provided with the essentials. Padmé was also thinking of giving the full-timers a raise, but she wiped that idea away to focus on other things for a bit.

Padmé then made a few calls to rent out a building in Galaktica, and she was lucky that the organization she ran had more than enough money to be able to rent the aforementioned building. Everything was sorted out in the span of a few days, and once that mess was over with, they could now begin filling up the trailers or trucks and all with the tables, shelves, toys, and everything else that they may need to set it up.

When everything was all set, Padmé, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and many others all began the trip to Galaktica. The trip was going to be somewhat long, but they could get there within a few hours. Most of the trip was rather quiet. They wouldn’t all arrive at the same time, quite obviously, and Padmé and company were going to be one of the first to arrive. Because of that, they would be the first to begin work there, but at the same time, they would also be the first to enjoy a breaktime after a good amount of work.

The trip was roughly five hours long, so it was a huge relief for them when they eventually arrived. When they did arrive, they took the time off to walk around the building to stretch and all. The building was slightly bigger than they thought, but it was clear that they could live with it. They would only really have it rented up until a few days after the new year as they would need a good amount of time to pack up and leave. After that, it would be another five hour long trip back home to Lower Coruscant.

Padmé stretched her arms for the umpteenth time, “Oh, goodness.”

“What’s wrong?”, Ahsoka asked, coming out of the doorway as she did.

“Nothing,” Padmé shook her head. “That trip just had me spent, that’s all.”

Ahsoka scoffed, “Tell me about it. Not to mention, Dad did all the driving, yet somehow, we’re tired ourselves.”

Obi-Wan groaned before sitting down on a chair nearby, “As Ahsoka said, I did all the driving, and thus, I am much more spent than you two are.”

“So, when should we get to work? All the mattresses are being set up, so we could probably start working after all that’s done with. I mean, we’ve had our snack already as well, so…”

He shrugged, “Up to you, but right now, I just want a bit of a rest of, maybe, five minutes or so. After that, I suppose we could start working.”

“Great,” she smiled and clapped her hands before turning to Ahsoka. “Ahsoka, do you wanna…help out? There are a lot of toys back there that need to be brought inside, and I think we should deal with that first. What do you say?”

“I can’t carry it all on my own,” Ahsoka replied, avoiding the question.

Padmé chuckled, “Don’t worry, Ahsoka, I’ll be helping you out, and the two of us can carry it together. Tell you what, once we finish this, I can make you the Ahsoka Classic for a job well done.”

Obi-Wan’s daughter grinned, “That sounds great.”

“Well, come on, we have a whole lot of toys waiting for us.”

Ahsoka held onto Padmé’s arm as the two walked, and instinctively, Padmé used her other hand to get the two of them to hold hands. Padmé turned around and shot Obi-Wan a small smile before going to walk again to the truck which contained all of the toys.

They came up to the truck full of toys, and Ahsoka sighed, “This is a lot.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Padmé agreed. “But, I know you can’t deal with all of them, so we’ll only be carrying the lighter load first.”

“Are there any Legos here?”, Ahsoka asked. “There has to be.”

Padmé laughed and nodded before pointing to a box with the word **Lego** on it.

Ahsoka half-knelt once she came up to the box, and she carried it to Padmé.

Padmé placed it on the road, “Alright, now you just take this inside, and come back when you’re done.”

Ahsoka gave a thumbs up and a small smile, “Got it.”


	2. Chapter 2

Padmé, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and the rest ended up working for most of the day before spending dinner, and two hours later, they all slept. However, Padmé, who couldn’t catch enough sleep that evening, decided to go down to see all the work that they had done for the first day. There were more people there to work than they expected, so they likely got more done, and while Padmé had already seen it earlier, she decided it might be a good idea to check on it again. Wearing her white sleepwear and slippers, she slipped out of the room and opened the lights in the hallway. With the push of a switch, they all opened in unison, and Padmé covered her eyes due to the sudden change in lighting for a moment.

She squinted as she looked for the staircase, her eyes still somewhat tired after being kept closed for too long. She then rubbed her eyes and groaned before smiling weakly once she found it, and she sauntered over to the staircase to get downstairs. She turned back as she wanted to check if anyone woke up, but before she could do it, she changed her mind. She carefully made her way down the stairs, trying to not make a lot of noise as the pair of slippers she wore were practically begging to do so.

She went downstairs, and the hallway which should lead to the main area was dark, but the switch was close by, and she opened them. She was unfazed by the light this time, and after a bit of awkward silence, she walked to the door. She opened it, and she cringed and squealed quietly as the door let out extremely noisy creaks. Once it was open, she tiptoed inside, and she softly pressed on the switch before the main room burst into life. She still remained unfazed.

She took the sight in to see all that they had accomplished.

There was a desk by the side, which she assumed served as a cashier.

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

_Why should a giveaway shop need a cashier?_

She sighed and rolled her eyes.

All the shelves were placed against the walls as she had expected.

The middle of the room was covered with desks, some placed neatly and others not, so that part was still to be dealt with.

There was a bit of dirt still on the floor, but some of them appeared to be food, likely as some went downstairs while they ate as not all ate a big meal.

Padmé hummed as she wondered if this was a lot done for a first day. All things considered, it probably was, even though organizing all the donations onto all the shelves and tables might take longer.

It might be a good idea for them to enjoy at least one day of relaxation, at least one day of just them exploring Galaktica with the light snow now pouring in. She knew Ahsoka would love something like that, and she and Obi-Wan would, too. After all, there were a few parks nearby, and of course, there were going to be people singing outside wearing their Christmas outfits and all in the middle of the cold days nearing Christmas. It would be a great time for them to spend a day not working at all or not worrying about anything, so yes, she really should consider tomorrow a workless day.

She took a few more glances and walks around the lit room before she eventually came up with her choice.

They would be having fun tomorrow.

She smiled to herself and nodded before turning off the lights and walking back upstairs to try and get some sleep again.

Tomorrow was another day.

____________________

It was the following day now. Padmé and Obi-Wan cooked breakfast for everyone who was there, and they all ate in two separate rooms, both with a table to dine as one table wasn’t enough for all of them. Ahsoka, being the girl that she was, was very active while they ate, and really, nobody who ate with her had a choice but to listen to her because it isn’t like they can just ignore a talkative 9 year old during a meal of some kind. Ahsoka made a lot of remarks, some witty and a few others even snarky, and all Padmé could do was laugh it off while Obi-Wan did something about it.

At some point during breakfast, Padmé pulled up the idea of them just having one day where they have no work and simply have fun and explore the place. Galaktica is a large place, and there were many places, structures, and others to see. In fact, Coruscant, specifically Galaktica, was voted by many as one of the best places to spend the Christmas holidays in, so that was another bonus of opening up the giveaway shop there. Most including Obi-Wan and Ahsoka agreed, but some others still wanted to just continue working, surprisingly enough. Of course, she didn’t push them to decide otherwise.

Obviously, they had winter clothes with them, and since everyone else planned on leaving later in the day, only Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka would be going out for the time being. Padmé asked the others if they wanted any souvenir of some kind, and they all shook their heads at that question. Still, Padmé was tempted to buy them souvenirs regardless, so she would have to hold herself down to stop that.

It was roughly two hours before lunchtime when Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka all left to go out and explore the place. There was a park nearby with stalls everywhere, and that was their first target for their short trip (or rather walk) around.

“Do you know those ones where you can decorate Christmas balls?”, Ahsoka asked before stuffing her hands in her pockets.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Padmé nodded with a small smile on her face. “In fact, I-I think I saw one of those earlier, but unfortunately, I kind of forgot where it was.”

Obi-Wan frowned, “Well, isn’t that a shame?”

“Can we look for it though?”, Ahsoka asked, a frown on her face as well. “Auntie? Dad?”

Padmé shot a hopeful glance at Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan sighed, shrugged, and nodded, “Alright, then.”

“Yeah!”, Ahsoka smiled and hugged him. Obi-Wan chuckled before softly moving out of the hug.

“Well, let’s go then? We don’t have all day.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Ahsoka walked in between her aunt and her father as they looked for it. They had already gone around the entire park, so at this point, they were only backtracking. Going around the entire park took roughly twenty minutes, but to be fair, they were walking around the place dreadfully slowly, so at normal pace, they would go all the way through and around it in the span of seven minutes. There wasn’t really anyone they could blame apart from Obi-Wan for him looking at basically every stall they would run into, but at the same time, they couldn’t really blame him. After all, it wasn’t everyday that they could go to Galaktica, especially since it was rather difficult to live here because it got more and more expensive over the years.

They walked around and kept searching for the stall where they should be allowed to paint Christmas balls or whatever they called it nowadays, not intent on getting distracted by anything.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened before pointing to one of the larger stalls in the park, “Hey, is that it?”

Obi-Wan turned to it before shrugging, “I don’t know, really. What do you say we look and see for ourselves?”

She beamed at him, “That would be great.”

Obi-Wan chuckled and patted her back before the three went over to see if that really was the stall they were looking for. Padmé then observed someone who was already at the stall to see what they were doing, and indeed, they were painting _something_. She smiled softly once she noticed that.

“We might have to pay here,” Obi-Wan pointed out. “Which one of us is going to pay?”

“Definitely not me,” Ahsoka said.

“I know, I know, don’t worry,” he assured her before turning to Padmé. “Padmé?”

She kept her mouth open for a bit before shrugging, “I mean, do you want to pay? If you are, I’m more than willing to let you, but if not…”

“Well, could you pay?”

Ahsoka groaned, “Dad, just pay it yourself!”

Obi-Wan sighed and nodded, “Fine.”

Padmé giggled as Obi-Wan took his wallet out with another sigh. None of them really knew if they had to pay for one of those balls, but it was always good to be sure. They then approached the stall as the man who was already there left, and he left the two halves of what he had painted on the stall to wait.

Obi-Wan spoke up, “Hello.”

The man in the stall turned there, “Ah, hello.”

“So, is this where you…paint balls?”, Obi-Wan asked, and his embarrassment at what he had just said went through the roof.

Padmé facepalmed because of how _bad_ and _wrong_ that sounded.

The man chuckled and nodded, “Yes.”

Obi-Wan looked up, and there was a small sign there of the prices. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, it was rather cheap indeed, and he paid for three of them. The man then pointed to a table nearby, and in that table were paint along with a man looking roughly Obi-Wan’s age watching over it to make sure nobody would try to take it. They would likely have to do their painting there, and Obi-Wan shrugged and led Padmé and Ahsoka to it, their Christmas balls in hand and provided paintbrushes.

As they all sat down by the table, Padmé decided on what she could paint. Unlike Padmé, however, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both already seemed to have made up their minds as they immediately began painting theirs.

“Did you see them dancing the Nutcracker earlier?”, Ahsoka asked at some point. “We passed by a stage earlier, and they were dancing.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, nodding slowly as he was likely already coming up with what Ahsoka had in mind. “They were indeed dancing that earlier. What are you thinking?”

Ahsoka gave a cheeky grin, “Dance class?”

Her father frowned and sighed, “Ahsoka, you know why I don’t take you to dance class, right? I have a lot of things, or rather my _savings_ have a lot of things to deal with. The dance classes nearby are all quite expensive, and you know I can’t take any risks at this point.”

“Come on, for a Christmas gift?”, Ahsoka pouted. “Please?”

He scoffed weakly, “You already have a request for a Christmas gift, and neither me nor Santa can change minds at this point.”

Ahsoka frowned, and so did Padmé, feeling sympathy for the younger girl, “Ahsoka, tell you what, if I can find a way, I can get you to that… _bigtime_ dance studio that you’ve been dreaming of getting on, okay? Maybe I can’t get it done for Christmas, but I’ll see what I can do, alright? I promise I’ll do all I can.”

She sighed, “Okay.”

Padmé smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t be so worried. You know Auntie, right?”

“She always finds a way,” the two girls said simultaneously, and Padmé chuckled afterwards and patted her shoulder.

Obi-Wan turned to Padmé before whispering, “You’re really going to try? That dance studio she talks about is very expensive in all honesty. I get that you own an organization and all, but still, very expensive.”

“I will,” she nodded. “I’m not trying to outdo you or anything though, I really just wanna make her happy.”

Obi-Wan placed a hand on his forehead and groaned weakly, “You’re just making me feel guilty.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Padmé assured him. “It’s not your fault or anything. I can understand why you wouldn’t do that, no worries.”

“Yes, I just hope things do get better.”


	3. Chapter 3

Days passed, and work in the shop was done much quicker than Padmé had expected. She knew it would likely be quicker after the first day, but not _that_ much quicker. They still had two days before the shop would actually open up to the public as it would do so only a few days before Christmas. One could argue they could have rented a much larger building with how much toys they had up for grabs, but at this point, they couldn’t really do much now. There were already a few people examining the place, and they were likely going to be coming in the moment it opens up. Everyone was sat in one large room together as they talked, relaxed, and ran through the list.

“Are all the signs set up?”, Padmé asked, looking down at her checklist.

“Yeah, they are,” the woman all the way across the room answered with an unnoticeable nod.

“’Kay,” the 24 year old nodded and checked the box. “All the shelves, all the tables?”

“Mhm, yep,” the woman next to her confirmed.

She checked the box, “Nice, so what about the, uh, toys? As in…are they all organized downstairs or what?”

“They are,” Obi-Wan confirmed. “Me and Ahsoka checked it earlier.”

“I hope you don’t mind me taking one of them,” Ahsoka chirped.

Padmé chuckled before checking the box, “Don’t worry, it’s fine, just don’t take too much. Anyway, is the place all clean?”

A young woman next to Ahsoka nodded, “We sure aren’t janitors, but we did get it clean.”

“Great,” Padmé grinned before checking yet another box. “And, what about the ads and all that?”

“Dunzo!”, another young woman exclaimed.

Padmé checked yet another box in her long checklist before asking, “What about the cashier? I don’t even know why we have one, but then again, gotta have it checked.”

“Yep, we got that.”

Another box checked.

“Great, now what about the trucks? Are they all clear? All empty?”

“Mhm, all that’s done with.”

Padmé nodded, not checking anything on her checklist this time around, “And, that should be everything, I guess. Are you all ready?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, “Well, we’ve still got two days to get ready, so…”

Padmé chuckled, “You’re right about that.”

She stood up.

“I just need to, uh, go to the restroom.”

Padmé left the room, losing the attention from everyone quickly. She exited the doorway before stuffing her hands in her pockets and hastily making her way to the restroom. She ran down the stairs, and with every step, she felt the urge to pee even more. The lights in the lower hallway were closed, and she slammed the switch, turning the lights on simultaneously. She jogged to the restroom as the urge got even stronger.

She came up to the door.

She tried twisting the knob, but it wasn’t working.

She tried multiple times, yet it wasn’t opening, and surely someone inside would’ve let her know that it was occupied by now.

“Great,” Padmé groaned before sighing as she held back her urge. “What am I going to do now?”

“There is a public toilet outside. You could always use that.”

Padmé jumped and whirled around, “W-who was that?”

Nobody was there.

She frowned knowing that was really all she could try, and that was assuming whatever that advice was is true and that there really was a public toilet not too far away.

“I’M GONNA USE A TOILET OUTSIDE! THIS ONE’S BROKE!”, she shouted to the people upstairs.

With a slight huff, Padmé stormed outside the building in search of the public toilet. The place was bustling and it was cold outside, yet warmth was all over Padmé, likely because of her aching urge. She looked around for a public toilet of some kind amongst the many buildings surroundings hers, the many cars crossing the streets, and the many people enjoying a nice chat with other people. She didn’t have forever to find it, and she knew that.

She let out a relieved smile once she could begin to make out a public toilet in the distance, and she ran to it, still holding back the urge rather well. She didn’t mind if it was dirty or not as she really just needed to pee right now. She twisted the doorknob, and unlike last time, it actually opened up. She sighed relievedly before bursting into one of the cubicles.

“Ah, that’s better,” she smiled and sighed in comfort.

The toilet flushed, and with herself all clean, she left the cubicle satisfied.

She washed her hands, and by that point, she must admit that the public toilet was rather luxurious, airconditioned, shiny, clean, and all. After washing her hands, she splashed some water on her face and wiped it with a handkerchief, one of her many habits that she produced throughout the years.

As she wiped her face and looked at the mirror, a cubicle opened up from behind her.

Padmé looked at herself in the mirror for a bit, and she noticed that the woman who came out of the cubicle, wearing a blue winter coatdress and sporting shades, was still looking at her.

With raised eyebrows, Padmé turned around to look at her, and the woman looked surprised.

“Uh, hello, uh, is there something wrong?”, Padmé asked awkwardly, holding back the urge to laugh sheepishly.

The woman simply removed her shades.

Padmé’s mouth was equally agape when she saw the face.

It was herself.

Or rather, herself with shorter, slightly curlier hair tucked behind the ears.

Or perhaps herself with a trim.

But, still, basically herself.

“W-who…are you?”, Padmé stuttered.

“S-Sabé Scarthwaite,” she replied, her more regal-sounding accent very noticeable.

“W-wait a minute,” Padmé’s eyes widened as she began to realize who she was. “Aren’t you the…princess marrying the prince on Christmas day?”

“Yes,” Sabé chuckled weakly. “But, do not mind that, it is quite clear we have a larger problem at hand.”

“Yes, definitely,” she nodded slowly, her mouth still agape slightly. “This is a bit of a problem.”

“Yes…”

“Wait, wait,” Padmé stepped back and raised a hand. “If we look so alike, why does barely anyone confuse _me_ for _you_?”

“I…keep a low profile,” Sabé replied simply. “Sunglasses are also quite helpful. Not many people around here have seen my face.”

“Oh.”

“I suppose the low profile really did pay off then.”

Padmé laughed weakly, “Yeah, I…guess it did.”

“Well, this is a rather difficult situation. I don’t suppose we could really leave here without doing anything about this.”

“Yeah, we really shouldn’t,” Padmé agreed. “Do you, uh, have any ideas?”

“First off, what is your name?”, Sabé asked. “I would suppose you have one.”

“Padmé Naberrie, I…own a charity.”

“Ah, yes,” she bit her lip. “I think I heard something about a…Naberrie Foundation, was that?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“That explains a lot.”

“So, what should we do about this…situation?”

“You could always come with me to the palace…tomorrow?”

She scoffed, “How am I supposed to get inside?”

“We could meet here tomorrow, and I can get you there with little to no one knowing about this.”

“ _Little_ to no one?”, she raised an eyebrow.

“There is one person whom I wouldn’t mind knowing of this, someone whom we both can trust.”

“Alright, then, but don’t you have something important to do?”

“My betrothed, Prince Anakin, is to leave tomorrow to meet with the Spanish ambassador to discuss a few things, and I shall enjoy time alone by then, so you need not worry about that.”

“Okay, okay,” she nodded. “Yeah, okay, alright.”

“Is that a yes?”, Sabé looked at her with a pair of hopeful eyes.

Padmé eventually nodded, “Yeah.”

Sabé clapped her hands and grinned, “Great, so what do you say we meet here tomorrow? Same time.”

Padmé checked the time and nodded, “Okay, that sounds great.”

“Very well,” her smile softened. “I shall see you soon, Padmé.”

“And, you, too, Your…Royal Highness.”

Sabé held onto one of Padmé’s hands for a moment, “Please, just Sabé.”

Padmé turned around and watched as Sabé sashayed out of the room.

This was definitely going to be a big, big problem.

____________________

Padmé told no one of what she was going to be up to that day, and she simply stated that she had a few people that she had to visit for personal reasons as an excuse to leave her colleagues over at the giveaway shop. She also promised that she would be back later that day, which she was now slightly regretting knowing there was the small chance that she actually wouldn’t. At this point though, she couldn’t really change anything now and could just hope for the best. She was on her way to the public toilet once again.

She wasn’t going to be late with the pace she had, so she was under no rush, though she wondered if Sabé was already there waiting for her. She had a feeling she was already there, however, as someone like her would likely be early to most events, and this was going to be no different. Nothing really changed as it seemed as the city was still bustling, people were still going places, and cars were still being driven down the streets. She also hoped nobody was at the public toilet at the time as that might cause some problems unless people would simply mistake them for twins, which would be better.

She came up in front of the door to the women’s public toilet, and she took a deep breath before gripping her hands around the doorknob and twisting it to open. She entered, and there was nobody there. She frowned, clearly expecting Sabé’s presence, and afterwards, she simply placed her bag on the sink area and washed her hands. Just when she finished, a cubicle opened up, and it was the familiar Sabé that came out.

“Padmé, you’re here,” Sabé smiled. “I thought you wouldn’t come. I am glad I am wrong.”

Padmé shrugged and smiled shyly, “The one and only.”

“So, I suppose I could get to work on bringing you into the palace now?”

“Are you sure nobody will recognize us though? Aren’t there going to be guards who would recognize us?”

“The guards move around as there somehow aren’t enough of them to cover off the entire palace at once, so we have our chance with that. Believe me, I know when they switch,” Sabé explained. “I can get us inside.”

Padmé sighed and slowly nodded, “I trust you in this, okay, but can I be back by the end of the day?”

“Of course, I’ll make sure I can.”

“Okay, well, let’s go then.”

The palace apparently wasn’t too far, so the two simply walked there. Sabé tried her best to make sure nobody noticed the two of them as even though they would likely just be mistaken as twins, Sabé didn’t want all the attention, and in all honesty, neither did Padmé. Their path through the city was quieter than Padmé thought, and she felt lucky because of that. They crossed a few streets, and eventually, they could see the palace up in the distance.

It was protected by no walls or anything like that, and all it had was a garden and roads in front of it. There was no one in front of it and guarding it or anything like that, and it was almost empty from their view.

“Are you sure nobody’s gonna catch us?”, Padmé asked again.

Sabé chuckled, “Yes, I am sure.”

They sneaked into the palace grounds, and there were no guards nearby, but they could hear chatter in the background. They ignored it for the time being. Sabé sneakily opened a door, and the two went inside. She quietly shut it, and there was still somehow nobody there.

“Quick,” Sabé whispered. “With me.”

Padmé followed her, and the two ended up in a room which she believed was Sabé.

Sabé sighed and placed her hands on her waist, “We definitely need to talk about this.”


	4. Chapter 4

Padmé raised an eyebrow, “Well, what are you thinking? Like you said before, we have to talk about this, and here I am now, to talk about it.”

Sabé sighed and frowned, “I do not have a single clue on what we can do about this.”

“Do we even have a problem to deal with here?”, she asked. “Maybe we could just leave each other alone, and we could get away with it because you’re not that well-known around here. This probably isn’t much of a problem, all things considered. I mean, we’re the first ones to notice this, aren’t we?”

“We are,” she confirmed. “We are, yes.”

“Maybe we could just leave this problem alone then?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I want to do something with this though.”

“What is it? It better be something interesting.”

Sabé bit her lip and hummed, “Well, um, I was thinking about…you for quite a while and how you lived.”

Padmé scoffed, “You’ve been thinking about my lifestyle.”

“Yes,” she replied weakly. “I was thinking on the idea of us two…switching for a day.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I was thinking that we could perhaps switch for a few days. I know this might all seem like a bit of a rush, but I’ve been dreaming about living like someone like you for quite a while, and I’ve nothing too important to do in the next few days, so you need not worry about all that much.”

“Are you saying that we should…swap places?”, Padmé asked with a raised eyebrow. “As in, you take my place and I take yours? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That is what she is saying.”

Padmé jumped and turned around to see who it was. Stood there was a woman wearing a simple light brown dress with tidied brown hair.

Sabé chuckled, “That is Cordé Valentine. She is my lady-in-waiting and…a close friend, I must admit. She’s that… _little_ that gets to know of this. Most of the staff call her Ms. Valentine, but some simply call her by her first name, like I do.”

“At your service,” Cordé said, a small smile on her face.

“So, anyway, back to the topic as she’ll only be listening for a while,” Sabé turned to Padmé. “Indeed, I do wish to take your place. I will not be doing anything too difficult to understand in the next few days, and we could always switch by Christmas Eve or before that, so I can be back for my wedding. I promise I can give you anything you ask me.”

“You do realize I don’t know how to act like you, right? Also, do you not want to spend time with this Anakin?”

“Our marriage was…somewhat-arranged. Also, I can help you act like me. We can be done with this _training_ of ours by the end of the day. You can help me act like you as well.”

“Okay, but wait, you said you could give me _anything_ , right?”

“Well, yes, but um, not necessarily _anything_ , but…virtually anything, I can give you. Anything that I might have, which is…a lot.”

“Can I…say my…requests first?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“You see, um, a friend of mine has a daughter who, uh, wants to enter this dance studio, but it’s…pretty expensive, and he doesn’t wanna risk it and get her into that dance studio, so uh…”

Sabé nodded and smiled, “I can have her be sponsored, and we can have that covered. I can get her into the dance studio if you wish.”

She grinned, “That’s great, thanks.”

“Is that a yes then?”

“Well, one more.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“Uh, since we’re basically the exact same, could you, uh, maybe give me one of your outfits that I can keep? I do wanna come home with something new, so yeah, if I could have an outfit…”

“Of course, I…have a lot of them. If you want to, I could have Cordé get one right now. Any suggestions?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Dark green, I guess? Or green?”

Sabé turned to Cordé, “Cordé, please get the dark green coatdress. There is only one of them.”

Cordé nodded, “Right away, Your Royal Highness.”

Sabé and Padmé watched as Cordé left to get the coatdress.

“So, is that a yes now?”

Padmé hummed before eventually nodding, “Yes.”

“Lovely,” Sabé giggled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, but uh, when exactly are we gonna begin this _training_?”

She shrugged, “We might as well start right now or sometime today as both of us are already here, and like I said, we can be done by the end of the day.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just do it today then,” Padmé replied lamely. “Just curious, will it be hard or something?”

“Not really,” Sabé shook her head. “Okay, well, I suppose it might be, actually, because you may or may not need to know a bit about the family’s history. You need not worry though, for I am quite a good teacher.”

“Does it also include me having to learn your accent?”, Padmé raised an eyebrow as she asked.

“Uh, yes, but it won’t be difficult, I promise.”

“I’m going to trust you on that.”

“Here you go,” Cordé said, bringing in the dark green coatdress that Sabé asked.

Padmé turned and let out a small gasp. It was nothing like what she would usually wear, yet she imagined herself wearing it and loved how that imagination looked.

“This-this…is really going to be mine?”

Sabé giggled and nodded, “Yes, it’s in our agreement. You agreed to this, and as such, you can enjoy this free coatdress in return as well as sponsorship for that young girl whom you talked about earlier, which we can talk more about later.”

Cordé placed it on the couch, and Padmé spent a bit of time examining it.

“Do you like it?”, Sabé asked expectantly. “I think it would look quite nice on you.”

She smiled, “I love it. Now, this is going to be something I’ll be cherishing for quite a bit.”

Sabé chuckled, “Good to know.”

Padmé put it down, “Now, we should probably start with that training.”

____________________

They started off slow, mostly just trying to get to know each other as they would really need to, and surprisingly enough, the two could relate to one another quite a few times. It was nothing worth noting, however. They talked for quite a while, and afterwards, they spent some time asking questions just to make sure they remembered what the other said. Not to mention, they had to learn a few more private things about one another, something both were obviously hesitant to share about, but they eventually pulled through with it.

Afterwards, they started focusing on walking like one another and acting like the other as a whole. They had to learn how to walk and talk like the other. Sabé was right when she said that her accent wouldn’t be too difficult to learn. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good, albeit slightly exaggerated in a few occasions. Padmé’s accent, the one used by the commoners more, was also quite easy, and all Sabé really needed to make sure of was to replace a few words with the more widely used ones (a good example being her replacing _suppose_ with _guess_ ). Learning how the other walked was slightly more difficult, however.

When that part was all over with, they now had to learn a bit of the other’s family history. Padmé’s family history wasn’t all that important, especially as there wasn’t really a point to teach that, and it was easy as the family tree wasn’t _that_ big because it wasn’t so documented as Sabé’s. Sabé’s family history and the family history of the family she would be marrying into, on the other hand, was much more difficult and much more important. Sabé had told her of every single name, and some even went all the way back to the late 19th century. It was difficult, but the diagram which Sabé conveniently had helped out massively.

When all that was done with and they asked all the questions, it was now time for them to swap image. Sabé had shorter hair, so all she could really do was change up the hairstyle to a less formal looking one. Padmé’s hairstyle bunched up a good amount of her hair to fit a more formal hairstyle fitting for a princess like Sabé. However, a small bit of it was cut as to not lead to raised eyebrows or curious eyes from the few people who get to see her when they discreetly examine her.

Padmé smiled before speaking in her newly-learned accent, “How do I look?”

Sabé grinned before clapping her hands, “Lovely.”

Padmé looked at the mirror and saw herself with the hairstyle that she first saw Sabé in, but it looked slightly thicker, not that she was bothered by it or anything, especially not as she saw this coming and was told about this. She smiled before doing some poses in front of the mirror, liking how she was looking, “You’re right about that.”

Padmé moved aside, and Sabé was the one who stepped in front of the mirror this time, examining how she looked. Her short hair was styled differently, giving her a look that screamed more _Padmé_ than _Sabé_ , even though likely neither would go for a hairstyle like that. The chosen hairstyle was the next best thing, and it was good enough in their eyes, so there was no need to try and bother with that. Both seemed to like how they were looking, and with that, this _training_ mess would now be over, and the days would begin. They would be the other until the night before Christmas Eve.

“So, is there anything else I need to know?”, Padmé asked. “You did kind of forget to tell me what I would be up to in the next few days.”

“Ah, right,” Sabé laughed sheepishly, but her sheepish smile quickly faded. “Well, actually, there’s nothing much. There is this charity ball that we have, but you do not really need to get involved in it. In fact, you do not even need to speak much, but you are expected to be there.”

Padmé slowly nodded, “Okay, and what do I have to do there?”

“Nothing much, really, just…dance,” she replied simply.

“I can handle that,” Padmé said confidently.

“Well, I wish you luck then. Is there anything else _I_ should know?”

“Nothing, really, I’m pretty sure you know everything, and I doubt anyone would be calling for some sort of emergency meeting at this point. We’re all set in the giveaway shop, after all, so I don’t think you need to worry about much.”

“Okay, well, that’s good.”

“Excited to meet anyone?”, she asked. “I have a feeling you have at least one person you’re excited to meet.”

“I am rather excited to meet Ahsoka,” Sabé answered. “She seems like an interesting child.”

Padmé laughed, “I do see why you would. Everyone would love to meet Ahsoka.”

“Do some regret it?”

“Not at the moment, no,” Padmé pursed her lips before shaking her head. “You could be the first though.”

“Oh, I’d rather not, no thank you.”

“In all honesty though, she’s a great girl, and I’m sure you’ll love to be around her…and Obi-Wan as well.”

“Her father, correct?”

“Correct,” Padmé confirmed. “Her dad.”

“Alright, I suppose I know everything I need to know now.”

“And, I know everything _I_ need to know.”

“Does that mean we are good then?”

“I guess it means we are. There’s nothing else we have to deal with, and we’re nearing the time of day when Obi-Wan and company will start wondering where I am.”

“Okay, so I suppose we should go now to…our places?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

Sabé smiled softly, “I do hope you enjoy yourself here then.”

Padmé grinned, “I most certainly will, I believe.”

She chuckled, “Good, good, I shall go now.”

“Alright, good luck,” Padmé said. “Have fun, too.”

“I will!”

Padmé watched as Sabé left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

A few minutes had passed ever since Sabé left, and Padmé was simply browsing her phone and enjoying herself in her room. Cordé, who was going to be attending to her throughout her whole time as Sabé, left her to enjoy herself in the room. After browsing her phone for a bit, she eventually got bored and left it on the bed before leaving the main bedroom to check out some of her clothing. Sabé had told her there was a lot and that she could choose whatever she wanted, so she decided to go and see what she had. Entering the room, she was already at least somewhat stunned, even if she had actually already seen it earlier.

The first thing she went after were the headwear scattered all throughout the place, and she picked up a green fascinator. There was a headband attached to it, and it had some feathers on top to make for an ornamental look. She smiled before putting it on. After that, she went over to the mirror to examine herself. She checked herself out before posing and eventually curtsying.

Knock.

Knock.

“Darling?”

Padmé’s eyes widened before she ran to the door, “Coming!”. Her accent slipped out, but she knew she would get away with it at least this once.

She opened the door, “Ah, hello.”

Anakin.

She rushed a curtsy as well.

“How are you?”, Anakin asked. “I have yet to talk to you much today, and I have not heard a lot either.”

She nodded before speaking in the right accent this time, “I am…lovely. The accommodations are…quite nice, I must say.”

“Oh, um, do I happen to be bothering or interrupting you in any way? You seem to be wearing a fascinator.”

Her eyes widened before she shook her head, “Oh, no, no, I was merely…rummaging around my wardrobe. Well, I suppose not really _rummaging_ , but I was simply trying on some headwear.”

“Ah, I see. May I…come inside?”

“Oh, of course,” she stepped aside to let him in.

She shut the door, “So, what brings you here?”

He sat down on a loveseat, “I simply came here to check on you…and to let you know of something.”

She sat down next to him, “Let me know of what? Is there something to worry about?”

“No, no,” he shook his head. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Well, what is it you want me to know then?”

“You do remember that I once told you I would have a meeting with a foreign ambassador soon?”, he asked. “And that I would be gone for a few days?”

She slowly nodded, slowly beginning to form an idea here, “Yes…”

He placed a hand on hers, “I…suppose I could’ve been smarter much earlier, but earlier, I felt it would be best that I focus on spending more time with you. After all, we are going to marry on Christmas day. With that, I…cancelled the meeting with the ambassador. Later, I will talk with him on setting up another date, but all you need to know is I’ll be spending time with you up until the wedding.”

Ah, great.

“Oh, I…see,” she replied weakly before pulling out a small smile. “That is good.”

“It is,” he said before a grin slipped from him. “Is everything in order for you? I know you said accommodations were all fine, but do you not have any minor concerns or small issues?”

“No, everything is…great, don’t worry,” she assured him before lying down on the couch to prove her point. “Very comfortable as well, I must say.”

“Well, I am…glad you liked it.”

She smiled softly and sat up, “So, what do you have planned for our days together before the wedding?”

He shrugged, “I am…thinking.”

“Any ideas, perhaps?”

“We could always take a walk together tomorrow. Getting to know one another is… _paramount_ , as my parents would define it.”

Padmé giggled, not even bothered by the fact that she didn’t know what the word meant.

“So, what do you say?”

She eventually nodded, “I think that sounds like a good idea.”

He smiled, “Great.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Mhm,” he confirmed before standing up. “Well, I still have a few calls to make, so…I’ll see you then.”

“I’ll see you then.”

He slowly nodded before pressing a kiss to her cheek, “I’ll see you then.”

She watched as he walked out of the room.

____________________

Sabé was closing in on the giveaway shop and the building it was in, and apparently, she was going to meet a lot of people there. She was going to meet Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and the many others who worked for her, or rather, according to Padmé, _with_ her. She shouldn’t have much to deal with as the giveaway shop should already be ready, but Padmé knew better than to let her go there without knowing a single thing about running the place. She knew it would feel like an entirely new place the moment she stepped through those doors, and she would welcome that with wide open arms.

She was now stood in front of the giveaway shop. There was nobody in the main store, but the building was larger than that. In her mind, she reassured herself that she could do this, and she entered the shop.

She was tempted to call people out and show themselves, but before she did, she stopped herself, deciding otherwise. Instead, she simply looked around to see what the giveaway shop was looking like, and it very much looked like a toy store to her, coming as absolutely no surprise as she did her research earlier this day and learned that this was mainly a Christmas charity. There were all different kinds of toys, with some seeming more expensive and more of high quality compared to the other ones, but as one would say, all that matters is that they come from the heart. She picked up a teddy bear from a shelf and examined it, noticing how it seemed slightly old with the smallest signs of missing _fur_. She eventually shrugged it off and put it back on the shelf where it came from.

She then heard someone’s footsteps. She furrowed her eyebrows before turning to the doorway which should lead deeper inside the building. An auburn-haired man came walking out.

“Oh, uh, Obi-Wan,” Sabé smiled. “Uh, yeah, I am back.”

“I suppose you are, Padmé,” he chuckled. “Well, did you get everything that you had to deal with…dealt with?”

She laughed before nodding, “Yes, yes, I have that over with.”

“Well, that’s great…because I have a few things I need to deal with. With your help, of course.”

She raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”

With his phone in hand, he opened up a text, “The financial department tried to contact you, but you weren’t answering, so…I suppose they just went to me instead and told me to show you this as soon as I could. They say your _excessive_ use of funding would require further discussion.”

Sabé frowned, “I thought they approved this.”

“They did,” Obi-Wan sighed. “But, apparently, they still want to discuss this. They also wanted me to reassure you that this shouldn’t lead to anything, but rather, they simply wanted to work with you to set up a few precautions for the use of funds in the near future.”

“Do I have to discuss this with them today?”, she asked.

He shook his head, “No, not really. You could discuss it today if you wanted to, but they would be fine with just discussing it when you come back.”

Inside her, Sabé sighed relievedly.

“Well, I think it might be best to just discuss this when we’re all back at Lower Coruscant.”

Obi-Wan nodded, “Alright.”

“So,” she bit her lip awkwardly. “Is that, um, all you have for me? Is that it? I kind of don’t want to talk too much business now that I’m back. I just wanna relax.”

Obi-Wan laughed, “I feel you. Anyway, yeah, that’s about it. We are free for the rest of the day to…relax or talk or something.”

“I prefer both,” Sabé quipped before looking around the place. “Uh, where’s Ahsoka?”

“Auntie!”, Ahsoka grinned as she saw her, her presence as if it were perfect timing. “You’re back!”

“The one and only,” the two closed the distance with one another. “How are you?”

Ahsoka gave her a quick hug, “I’m great.”

“Did something interesting happen while I was gone?”

“Interesting?”, she scoffed. “No, nothing.”

“Well, how about we do something interesting then?”, Sabé offered.

Ahsoka smirked, “What are you thinking?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Watch a movie or something? Play…on your…gadget or as in play a game? What are you thinking?”

Ahsoka slowly nodded, “There’s this movie I saw was gonna start in a few minutes. I haven’t watched it in a while.”

Sabé raised an eyebrow, “So, you have watched it? We’re gonna watch it again?”

Ahsoka deadpanned, “I mean, you _do_ know how much I like to watch my favorite movies over and over again, right?”

“Right,” Sabé laughed sheepishly.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

“So, let’s watch this in a bit then?”

Ahsoka grinned and nodded, “Yep, and you, Dad?”

“What?”, Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

Ahsoka groaned, “Are you gonna watch with us?”

He laughed before patting her shoulder, “Of course, of course, of course, don’t you worry.”

“Great,” she replied dryly before speaking bluntly. “Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go for a poo.”

Obi-Wan facepalmed as Ahsoka waltzed out of the room, and likely, made her way to the restroom not too far away. Sabé simply stifled a laugh.

____________________

Sabé watched the movie together with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. A lot of the movies she watched would make her cry, but this one was a more lighthearted one, so no tears would fall this time around, though she could’ve sworn Obi-Wan shed a tear or two, not that she really pointed that out. She wasn’t sure if Ahsoka shed her own tears, but she never really bothered to see. Once the movie was over, the rest of the day would fly by very quickly for the three, and after dinner and all that, the day was coming to an end.

Apparently, Ahsoka had a nightmare the previous day, so Obi-Wan would be stuck with her on the bed that evening. Ahsoka fell asleep first, but Obi-Wan never bothered to leave her knowing she would wake up at some point. Obi-Wan eventually fell asleep himself. When Sabé knew of this, she quietly sneaked out of the large room with her phone, and she went into the hall outside. She sneakily brought her phone out and went through her contacts. She hummed as she looked for the right one, and she smiled as she saw the contact labeled _Padmé._

She called her.

She leaned against the wall as she waited for an answer.

_PADME: Hello?_

Sabé brought the phone up to her ear.

_SABE: Hello._

_PADME: Sabe._

_SABE: Hey._

_PADME: So, how was it?_

_SABE: It was good, I can tell you that. I watched a movie together with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka._

_PADME: Let me guess, it was a rerun?_

_SABE: Hehe, yes._

_PADME: Classic Ahsoka._

_SABE: What about you? What did you do today?_

_PADME: Oh, yeah, that reminds me of something._

_SABE: Reminds you of what?_

_PADME: Anakin’s here._

_SABE: What?! He should be gone!_

_PADME: Yeah, but the thing is he isn’t!_

_SABE: What about his meeting with the foreign ambassador?_

_PADME: Apparently, he cancelled it because he wants to spend more time with me._

_SABE: Well, this is gonna be a problem._

_PADME: Tell you what, I’ll just deal with it myself. Maybe it won’t be so bad to spend time._

_SABE: Are you sure?_

_PADME: I’m sure. Besides, it can’t be that bad, can it? Anakin doesn’t seem like such a bad person._

_SABE: I suppose you’re right._

_PADME: Mhm._

_SABE: Well, I shall see you soon then? I still would like to get some sleep._

_PADME: Of course, see ya._

_SABE: Bye._

Sabé ended the call.


	6. Chapter 6

Sabé was sleeping soundly. Everything and everyone was quiet. She was probably dreaming some wonderful, lighthearted dream of some kind under the imaginary lands made for her to walk on. The sun was rising in the background as a new day was beginning, but she still remained in her sound sleep on a mattress that she wasn’t used to, but the coziness coming from sleep on it was still there. Part of her was going to prompt her to wake up in any moment now, but before all that, the day was still quiet. She had slept somewhat late because she couldn’t fall asleep so quickly last night.

She opened her eyes and woke up.

She sat up and looked around, and it was clear that she was the first to wake up. She groaned and stretched her arms before sitting on the side of the bed and looking around once again: everyone was still asleep. She slowly got up to her feet and sauntered to the restroom to take a sit-down and pee.

When she was done, she went back to the room and sat down on the bed once again as she was bored and had nothing to do, now trying to think of what she could do for the time being. As she did that, her stomach rumbled, and knowing this, she went downstairs to the kitchen, but not to get food or anything like that, but rather simply milk.

She turned on the lights in the hall before going to the staircase which would lead her downstairs, and with slightly clumsy feet from sleepiness, she made her way down. The lights in the hall downstairs were off as well, but she could barely see the switch and was able to turn it on. She turned to the kitchen not too far away, and she began walking to it there.

She pushed open the door into the kitchen to reveal that it was surprisingly squeaky clean as she turned on the lights inside.

She then clapped her hands as she began looking for where the milk would be. There were some clean glasses nearby, however, and she decided to take one of them. She glanced around again and saw a refrigerator near the corner. She smiled and jogged to it and pulled it open. There was, indeed, milk conveniently inside. She took one of the boxes and placed the box and glass on a table nearby. She twisted the cap until the box opened, and she poured in some milk. That was when she heard someone enter the room.

“Auntie.”

“Oh, Ahsoka,” Sabé smiled before she finished filling up the glass and twisting the cap closed. “Good morning.”

“G’morning,” Ahsoka replied before rubbing her eyes. “You’re up pretty early.”

Sabé chuckled, “I could say the same for you. What is your father up to?”

Ahsoka scoffed, “ _Father_ is asleep right now.”

“Ah,” she replied simply before drinking some of the milk from the glass.

Ahsoka hummed before asking, “Tell you what, could you get me…an Ahsoka Classic?”

_A what now?_

Sabé was tempted to ask what it was, but she knew Padmé should know this. She tried to change the topic because of this.

“Oh, uh, I remember yesterday that…I thought I saw Obi-Wan’s car passing by.”

Ahsoka chuckled, “That’s kind of common, you know? Dad’s car is pretty common.”

“Yeah, exactly,” she laughed sheepishly.

Ahsoka’s laughter quickly died out, “So, can you, uh, get me the classic now?”

“Eh, are you sure you can even drink that early in the morning?”, Sabé asked. “Don’t you think that might not be meant for early mornings?”

“I’m sure,” Ahsoka sighed. “Dad said I could many times.”

“Oh, hehe, uh, I am having some sort of…mental block right now, so could you just tell me the ingredients?”

Ahsoka facepalmed before answering dryly, “Orange juice with two teaspoons of sugar and one of salt.”

Oh.

Sabé laughed weakly before slowly nodding and asking, “Yeah, uh, if you could show me where that is, it might help.”

Ahsoka sighed before she pointed to the refrigerator then a cabinet on the other side of the room. Sabé got the orange juice box and the sugar and salt, filled up a glass, and made an _Ahsoka Classic_ for Ahsoka.

With an unusually intense glare, Ahsoka drank it, and she eventually nodded, liking it, supposedly. Ahsoka then put it down, and Sabé brought the glass to the sink.

Ahsoka furrowed her eyebrows, “Something’s up with you. I’m gonna know about it soon.”

Utterly unfazed, Sabé raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

With a huff, Ahsoka strutted out of the room, and Sabé sighed in relief.

And, that right there was one reason to get mad at Padmé.

With a small sigh, Sabé turned around and began washing the two glasses by the sink.

____________________

Padmé was on her way to the snow-covered garden now. She was going to meet Anakin there, and it wasn’t like she could say no. Besides, she did agree the day before, so she would have to go today. She couldn’t decide on a proper outfit earlier, but luckily enough, Cordé gave her some ideas, and she decided on a more simple outfit for her walk with her betrothed. She went down the stairs, and the doors were opened for her by a staff whom she ran into. She went outside, unfazed by the sudden drop in temperature as she began looking for Anakin.

She frowned as she kept looking but couldn’t find anyone.

 _Am I late or is he the one?_ , she thought. _God, I hope it’s him._

The door opened up behind her, and she turned around.

She curtsied, “Anakin.”

He shook his head, “Um, n-no need to curtsy. You are my betrothed, and I do not want you curtsying to me as if I am above you.”

“A-alright,” Padmé nodded. “I understand.”

“So,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Rather cold day, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Quite cold, indeed.”

“Well,” he gave a small smile. “Shall we, my lady?”

She nodded, a small smile on her face as well, “Let us go.”

The two began walking around the snowy garden.

“This place is lovely,” he smiled as he glanced around. “It seems nice from the outside, but when you are in it, it really does look better. Quite old, but still lovely.”

She raised an eyebrow, “For how long has this palace stood? It seems rather new in my eyes. My apologies, I did not do my research.”

He chuckled, “No, it…is fine. This palace has stood ever since…the 18th century, the earlier years, for the record. Over the years, it was modernized to fit the timeline if it hasn’t occurred to you already.”

She hummed and nodded, “Ah, I see.”

“For how long has your palace stood? Naboo?”

She bit her lip, trying to remember when Sabé gave her that lesson, “It has been around ever since the 17th century, modernized like yours.”

“Ah, well, I would’ve supposed that.”

“Though I doubt it is as lovely as this,” Padmé added. “There’s something…cozy about this.”

“Oh,” he laughed sheepishly. “You are too kind.”

She raised an eyebrow, “And, do you not like my apparent kindness?”

He laughed again, “Oh, no, no, sentiments appreciated, my lady.”

“Good, I was considering taking it back.”

“Glad you didn’t,” he murmured. “I would not like that.”

“Mhm, me neither.”

He turned to a frozen water fountain nearby, “Ah, good memories.”

“What…did you remember?”, she asked. “If you mind my asking.”

“I don’t mind,” he shook his head before sighing with a small smile. “Well, anyway, uh, me and my parents were celebrating my 10th birthday. I do remember falling in here once, but unfortunately, I don’t remember _how_ I fell in here.”

“Well, however you did it, I’m sure it must be something hilarious.”

He chuckled, “Yes, I still have vague memories of it, good times.”

She noticed the small frown on his face, “What’s wrong?”

He shrugged, “I’m not sure. When Mummy first told me that I was a prince, it felt like a bit of a fairytale after watching all those animated films, but as I grew up and got into duties, it felt…different. I have more duties, which I handle quite well, admittedly, but still, it seems…off. I can’t put my finger on it though, though I’m not sure I want to be able to.”

“You…thought life would be better, didn’t you? Living as a prince? Living in a-a castle or…palace?”

He slowly nodded, “I suppose that’s how I feel, but this is a duty, an obligation, and there’s no chance that I can step back from it.”

“I know how you feel,” she replied weakly. “Don’t worry, I know. I know we don’t have much choice.”

He gave a small smile as he turned to the flagpole nearby, “There’s more good memories here.”

“Like…?”

“I used to play games here with my friends. My daddy and mummy were kind enough to let my friends come in with me.”

“Don’t royals have private schooling? Home schooling or whatever?”

“I had that option, I remember, but Mummy and Daddy sent me to school instead of having a governess teach me. Apparently, it was so I could experience at least a somewhat normal life.”

“Good on them,” she smiled softly. “I think that sometimes being normal is just…better.”

“Sometimes, yes.”

She raised an eyebrow and smirked, “You love being royal, don’t you?”

He shrugged once again, “It has its benefits. Of course, it has its downsides as well. However, I think that after all that, I like it simply because of conditioning, mental conditioning.”

“I see where that’s coming from. About your duties, do you like it or not?”

“My duties?”, he gave a so-so look. “I suppose I do. There are some that I don’t like, and that’s meetings with the Parliament. We still have to deal with a _small_ bit of politics, though I suppose most of my political duties come from them just wanting my support or anything of the like.”

“And, are there any duties that you do like?”

“The more simpler once,” he answered unspecifically. “By simpler, I mean all the charity work and all. That’s simple for me, and admittedly quite likeable as well. It also feels like you are doing much more than when dealing with political work or anything of the like.”

“Yes, I see why.”

“I just like it when it’s simpler,” he added. “Still, despite that, I love being a royal, and I love this nation.”

“That’s good.”

“Very,” he added with a smirk. “Sometimes, it really is painful and-and…difficult, but it’s what I have to go through.”

She frowned, “Do you not tell your parents about this? About your struggles? Must you really keep this all to yourself?”

“Yes,” he nodded with a sigh, making her frown even more before he spoke once again. “I am the crown prince, and a lot is expected from me. I can’t simply back down from it, or all of it, everything that might be wrong, will come crumbling down on me.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. Soon enough, you’ll learn it. I’d rather go through all those stressful, annoying meetings and negotiations rather than take a day’s rest unless my parents insist. The nation is slowly putting more and more weight onto my shoulders as the days passed as my parents won’t be king and queen forever. One day, I’ll take the burden, and one day, hopefully long from now, our child will take it as well.”

A heartbeat.

“I suppose you’re right,” she whispered. “Hopefully, as you said though, it will be far from now, for they deserve a somewhat normal life as well.”

He turned to her, “I know we’ll never truly feel for one another like a true husband and wife would, but if we could just be friends and…work together to achieve our goals such as working on charities and…eventually raising children, I would be more than happy.”

She smiled softly, “I believe I would, too.”


	7. Chapter 7

Padmé was lying down her bed, scrolling through her phone. Now would be the time that Sabé would call her, but she wasn’t getting anything right now. However, she simply lied down on the bed and waited for the call instead of calling her lookalike herself. After looking through YouTube, she decided to open up Facebook and searched for _Sabé Scarthwaite._ To absolutely no surprise whatsoever, there was not a single account of her there. After all, she was not well-known by the public, so it’s not like she has some sort of social media account. If she did, a lot more people would know her and know how she looks, but they don’t.

She groaned as she put the phone aside, not able to think of anything interesting she could do before going to sleep for the evening. She then covered her face with her hands and groaned again.

She could feel something buzzing.

She turned to the phone and noticed that someone was calling.

She quickly picked it up and saw that it was, surprisingly enough, Sabé.

She gave out a small smile before answering the phone.

_PADME: Hello?_

_SABE: Hello!_

_PADME: Ah, Sabé, I thought you were never going to call._

_SABE: Well, I’m glad I proved you wrong._

_PADME: Hehe, yeah._

_SABE: So, how has it been? How was your day with Anakin?_

_PADME: ‘Twas lovely._

_SABE: Ha, so it seems he isn’t bad as he seemed at first. He’s genuinely nice in my view, but at first glance, you might not think that. I was hoping he proved you wrong._

_PADME: He did, but he…seemed more closed off and…secretive than I expected, I guess, if I used the right words._

_SABE: Hm? What do you mean? What are you saying? Is he…evil or something?_

_PADME: What? No, no, no, of course not._

_SABE: Well, what do you mean by closed off? Secretive?_

_PADME: He…was a bit personal…yesterday, I guess. Not emotional or anything, but he talked about more…personal thing while we were in the garden._

_SABE: And, what did he say?_

_PADME: I don’t know. He just…feels like he’s not too happy with this or anything. It’s…like he feels that this life isn’t how he thought it might be._

_SABE: That’s the royal life for you._

_PADME: I know, I know, but…sympathy’s still on the cards for me, for…him, I guess._

_SABE: Yes, I can understand. Being a royal, it’s…nice in some areas, but it’s also rather stressful and is a difficult path to go down. I learned that myself as well, the hard way, of course._

_PADME: So, are you liking my…somewhat common life? It’s not that common to run a company, but it’s even less common to be a royal, after all._

_SABE: Hehe, yes, I am loving it, but…_

_PADME: But._

_SABE: You didn’t tell me about this… **Ahsoka Classic**!_

_PADME: Oh, hehe, right…_

_SABE: Why didn’t you tell me about it?! My…cover was nearly blown, and that’s assuming it hasn’t been so already._

_PADME: Okay, okay, I’m sorry._

_SABE: Ugh, just…give me an explanation, please?_

_PADME: I just…forgot! It’s as simple as that. Forgive me? Please?_

_SABE: Ugh, just this once, fine._

_PADME: Yay._

_SABE: But, you really must tell me **everything** I need to know about everyone I should know. Is there anything else I should know?_

_PADME: Uh, no._

_SABE: Are you sure? Last time you said, I could’ve sworn you were wrong._

_PADME: I’m sure!_

_SABE: Ugh, alright. I swear though, that was close._

_PADME: Mhm, and once again, I’m sorry._

_SABE: No, okay, it’s fine._

_PADME: Okay._

_SABE: Apart from that, everything was fine, really._

_PADME: Same goes for my end!_

_SABE: Well, I suppose it could’ve gone worse._

_PADME: Yes, it really could’ve._

_SABE: I suppose there’s not really much we could talk about now. We have gone through just about everything for the evening._

_PADME: I guess we have._

_SABE: No, no, wait._

_PADME: What?_

_SABE: Do you, uh, remember about the…charity ball?_

_PADME: Oh, jeez, right…_

_SABE: Just a reminder!_

_PADME: Right, can Cordé help me with it?_

_SABE: Yes, of course._

_PADME: Alright, okay, that’s good._

_SABE: Yes, well, that’s about all I remember, so…shall we sign off and enjoy a good night?_

_PADME: Yep, ‘kay, good night!_

_SABE: Good night, Padmé._

The call ended.

____________________

It was the following day now. Sabé, once again, was the first to wake up of everyone, but she wasn’t as early as last time, which probably meant improvement as the more sleep, the better. Nevertheless, she decided to start cooking for all of them once Obi-Wan was up and was able to help her, and at some point, she regretted cooking as perhaps Padmé was a better cook than her, but she didn’t have much of a choice now that they already started. Luckily, Obi-Wan himself was good enough to lead whilst cooking, so that was a nice save.

Sabé could hear someone closing in on the kitchen, and she looked at the doorway to see who would come in.

“Good morning,” Ahsoka chirped and grinned as she stepped in.

Sabé smiled, “Good morning, Ahsoka.”

“Good morning,” Obi-Wan said, a smile on his face as well. “And, how was sleep?”

Ahsoka shrugged, “Eh, pretty good, I guess.”

“Nightmares?”

“None.”

“I thought so.”

Sabé chuckled, “No wonder you weren’t sleeping with her tonight.”

“It was a lucky night for me,” Obi-Wan mumbled. “I got to sleep on my own bed.”

Ahsoka hummed, “You know, I have an idea.”

“An idea for what?”, her father raised an eyebrow.

“An idea for what we could do for later.”

“Okay, and what is it?”

“There’s a mall a…few blocks away,” Ahsoka answered. “I was thinking maybe you, me, and Auntie could go there. We don’t have much to do anyway. After all, we finished _way_ earlier than planned.”

Obi-Wan turned to Sabé, “So, uh, what…do you think, Padmé?”

Sabé shrugged and smiled, “I don’t see why not, really.”

Ahsoka squealed in delight.

Obi-Wan and Sabé turned to her, and they simply laughed it off shortly after.

____________________

Eventually, the three of them prepared to go to the mall and leave everyone else at the building for the time being. They didn’t mind the three leaving, so it was all clear for them. Indeed, the mall wasn’t too far away as they got there in a matter of a few minutes, and of course, Ahsoka wanted to go check out some shops. More specifically, she wanted to check out a toy store. It’s not like Obi-Wan and Sabé really had much of a choice in that matter, so they obliged.

Ahsoka led them into the largest one in the mall, and arguably, the most appealing one.

“Well,” Obi-Wan sighed as he looked down at Ahsoka. “Go wild, and…be careful. We’ll follow in a bit.”

Ahsoka grinned before she ran into the toy store.

“She’s one crazy kid, isn’t she?”, Sabé said.

“She is,” Obi-Wan smiled before crossing his arms. “In a good way, of course.”

Sabé chuckled, “I know. I know.”

“She’s a lovely girl. She deserves a lot. She deserves a lot that she doesn’t have.”

Sabé raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just feel like…I’m not enough sometimes, and with the way she acts every once in a while, I sometimes feel that she knows that.”

“Don’t say that,” Sabé shook her head. “You are enough. You’re one of the greatest fathers I’ve ever seen, and…you’re dedicated to making her happy, to try and give her what she wants and needs. For me, that’s enough.”

“There’s one thing I can’t give her,” he murmured. “The one thing she deserves the most.”

“And, what is that?”

“A-a…mother,” he nearly choked on his words. “I-I…still remember her saying she wasn’t ready to take care of Ahsoka, to raise her, a-and…I understood that, but still, I…wish she stayed around. I know Ahsoka wishes that as much as I do. Sometimes, I wish I could be like both to her, but I know I’m not and…never will be.”

“Oh, don’t say that. You are the best father she could ever ask for, and you are the best mother she could ever ask for. You’re the best parents that she could ask for. She’s just as lucky to have you as you are to have her,” Sabé placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re great, Obi-Wan.”

“You really think so?”, he turned to her as he spoke weakly.

Sabé giggled before smiling softly, “I know so.”

____________________

Padmé was looking inside her wardrobe. She couldn’t think of anything that she could wear for the ball. All of what seemed appealing didn’t seem to be fit for such an occasion, and most of what did seem fit for the occasion didn’t seem appealing to her. She knew that at this point, Sabé would’ve found something to wear, but she wasn’t Sabé, and she knew it. The clock was ticking as time passed, and she knew that as well. Padmé groaned as she kept failing to find one.

“Your Royal Highness,” the soft-spoken voice of Cordé came from behind her. “Are you really having a hard time picking something to wear?”

Padmé sighed, “Yes, I’m not Sabé. I’m sure she would have found something to wear by now, but I sure as hell can’t.”

Cordé giggled, “I understand. If I may, may I suggest something for you to wear?”

“Oh, of course, sure,” Padmé nodded before stepping aside for her. “Go ahead.”

Padmé watched as Cordé went through a few of the many clothing that Sabé’s wardrobe had. Padmé could notice Cordé picking out something alike to silk, and she assumed it really was silk.

Cordé brought out a silky red gown, and it was somehow something that Padmé didn’t see earlier. Padmé was stunned as it looked gorgeous, and despite it being somewhat similar to those that she didn’t feel was appealing, she was liking this one.

“What do you think of this?”, Cordé asked, holding the gown. “I feel it would be fitting for you, but that is your decision, ma’am.”

Padmé hummed in thought before eventually nodding, “Yeah, I guess it’s good. It seems kind of nice.”

“Great, well,” Cordé handed it to her. “You should get yourself changed. When you are done, I can help you with everything else.”

“Okay,” Padmé took it and headed off to get changed. Cordé went into the living room to wait for her.

____________________

Padmé walked up in front of the mirror and examined herself. Her short hair was tidied, as if it wasn’t already. Her red silk gown was softly pressed against her body, loose enough to not feel a squeeze but tight enough to reveal her slim and appealing structure. She had the choice to wear gloves to complete the royal look, but she decided otherwise, thinking it would just be a bother for her.

Cordé smiled, “You look lovely, Your Highness.”

“Thank you,” Padmé murmured before turning to her. “Wait, will you…be coming?”

She nodded, “Yes, but I will not necessarily _stick_ with you throughout the ball’s entirety. Perhaps I could enjoy a drink or two. However, I will always be nearby if you wish for help.”

“Okay,” Padmé nodded. “Thank goodness for that.”

Cordé checked the time, “We still have a good amount of time before the ball begins. You might want to…take a seat and relax in the meantime.”

Padmé frowned, “I’m nervous. What if Anakin and I…don’t seem nice together? We should.”

“I saw you two for a bit while you were both walking outside in the garden. You looked great together, and I have no doubt you will look even better together in the ball. I doubt he himself would disagree with me.”

“What if I-I…mess this all up?”

“You won’t,” Cordé laughed softly. “The more you feel that you will, the more likely that is to happen, however. Still, I have my faith in you, and if you need my help, I will be there.”

Padmé nodded, “Okay.”


	8. Chapter 8

Minutes passed, and Padmé and Sabé headed for the ballroom to attend the charity ball. They were going to meet Anakin there, and both knew that he was equally if not more ready for the occasion than they were. If there was someone who was going to mess this up, it would be Padmé, and she knew this. She just hoped she wouldn’t live up to what she was thinking as she knew it would be difficult for Cordé to save her if something bad happens. For now, she was alone. Well, she was alone with Anakin, that is. She was alone with him for the evening.

She was closing in on the large staircase that would lead to the ballroom, and she saw Anakin stood there in the middle of the stairs, awaiting her presence. Padmé stopped in front of the first step and waited for her to catch Anakin’s attention. Anakin eventually turned to her and gave a small smile. Padmé then solemnly went down the stairs to meet Anakin.

She looked up at him with a smile, “Good evening.”

“Darling,” he pressed a small kiss to her knuckles. “You are quite beautiful.”

“I suppose I could say the same for you,” she murmured.

He laughed lightly before turning to the ballroom, “Well, shall we?”

Padmé nodded, “Let’s go.”

With an arm wrapped around his, the two went down the steps and more and more people turned their attention to them, including the king and queen. Anakin was unfazed by the attention, clearly used to it, but it was clear that she wasn’t. She knew she could crack and shatter at any moment in a way that he wouldn’t, so she would let him do more of the talking.

“Mummy, Daddy, good evening,” Anakin greeted, stepping in front of his parents, King Qui-Gon and Queen Shmi.

“Oh, my,” Shmi looked at the soon-to-be couple. “You two are looking fine this evening.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow, “And, what are you going to say about it exactly? All in the genes?”

Shmi scoffed, “That’s your father’s line, Ani.”

“Yes,” Qui-Gon confirmed. “And, indeed, all in the genes.”

Anakin chuckled.

Shmi turned to Padmé, “Dearest, how is everything?”

Padmé raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“The accommodations and all that. Are you feeling…cozy here?”

“Ah, yes, of course, Your Majesty.”

Shmi shook her head, “Shmi would be fine.”

Anakin groaned, “Mummy, I already asked her about this.”

“Well, you never know. She might have changed her mind,” she protested, leading to a roll of the eyes from Anakin.

Padmé giggled, “I promise you I did not.”

Anakin sighed, “Alright, then.”

“This is definitely one of the better balls we have had,” Qui-Gon commented.

“Daddy, you do realize that balls are relatively the same, correct?”

Anakin’s father laughed and nodded, “Yes, yes, but there’s something odd about this one that just makes it seem…better. I can’t quite put my finger on it though.”

“Understandable,” Anakin then turned to Padmé. “Do you want me to get us a drink? I am quite thirsty.”

She shook her head, “No, I am…fine.”

Anakin frowned but accepted the response, “Okay.”

Anakin went off to get a drink, and Padmé was alone for a bit. She watched as he enjoyed a quick drink before he went back to her, quickly wiping off a bit of his drink off his mouth before doing so.

“That was quite quick,” Padmé quipped.

Anakin laughed, “I savor some drinks, but for others, I take it all down quickly. It depends on the mood, really. However, someone is most likely waiting for me, so I decided to be fast.”

She raised an eyebrow with a smirk, “What makes you think I am waiting for you?”

He shrugged, “Bold assumptions, I suppose.”

Padmé chuckled before repeating, “Bold assumptions.”

Anakin looked up once he heard the music change, but he turned to the speakers once he knew where the sound was coming from. It was playing some classical music meant for a dance for two. Padmé quickly noticed this as well, and she also noticed some couples beginning to dance. She then turned to Anakin, expecting him to say something or ask for something.

Once he noticed his parents dancing as well, Anakin spoke to her and offered his hand, “Would you…care for a dance?”

She took his hand and smiled, “I would love to.”

She followed Anakin into a larger space where everyone else was dancing at. When they found their own space, Anakin positioned his hands, expecting her to hold onto them and start dancing. She did, and they started dancing.

Anakin was leading the dance, and he made it easier for her to keep up. He maintained a small, adoring, and confident smile throughout their dance whereas Padmé simply looked up at him with an almost curious pair of eyes, silently observing and examining him as she followed his lead. He would shoot quick glances at her every once in a while, and she knew he would always catch her looking up at him. She let him though. She let him know she was curious. She let him know that he was in her mind.

She found herself drifting away as he assumed full control of the dance, and her subconscious simply followed him. Her consciousness was busy, focused on her betrothed. The music slowly faded, and everything else came with it. It was all him now. It was just him and her, dancing together.

She could see much in his eyes. She could see struggle, frustration, and sadness, but at the same time, she could see relief and happiness. She could see all that amid the beauty of it all. She never found herself in such a position, but she found herself not minding it at all. In fact, she found herself enjoying it, _bathing_ in it. She found herself intrigued, intrigued in all of it, and she knew he knew this as well. Deep down, Padmé smiled, enjoying all of this and making it clear inside of her.

Everything slowed down.

Padmé snapped back into reality when Anakin stopped dancing, and she noticed that the music ended. Everyone else stopped dancing as well.

“That was nice,” she mumbled.

He chuckled before agreeing, “It was.”

The two left the “dancefloor.”

____________________

Sabé quietly sat up, noticing that everyone was now asleep. This would be the perfect time to sneak out and call Padmé, so she slowly pushed the blanket away and sat up to sit down on the side of the bed. She then took her phone into her hands and stood up. Making sure to make as little noise as possible, she snuck out of the room in almost comical fashion. She opened the lights in the hallway and walked over to a wall on the other side. She leaned against it before calling Padmé.

_PADME: Sabé._

_SABE: Hello._

_PADME: Ah, Sabé._

_SABE: So, how was it? How was the ball?_

_PADME: It was great, absolutely loved it._

_SABE: You actually enjoyed time with Anakin?_

_PADME: Not the first time, actually. Remember the walk?_

_SABE: Ah, right, but either way, you enjoyed it, I see._

_PADME: Yep, definitely. I thought it would be horrible, but…surprise, surprise, it was the complete opposite._

_SABE: Good for you._

_PADME: How has it been with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka?_

_SABE: I loved it, too, I must say._

_PADME: Nice._

Sabé turned as she heard something open. She narrowed her eyes and leaned to see if something or someone was there, but she sighed in relief when there was no one.

_PADME: Hey, what was that? You weren’t replying for a bit._

_SABE: Nothing, I…just thought someone was there. I thought someone caught us in the act._

_PADME: Well, I guess we’re lucky you weren’t caught. Can’t have anyone knowing about this._

_SABE: (sigh) Rightly so._

_PADME: Thank God, I guess._

_SABE: Heh, yes._

“Ha! Gotcha!”

Sabé jumped, and she turned.

Ahsoka.

Ahsoka was pointing a toy gun at her, “So, who…are you?”

_PADME: Sabé? Sabé? What’s going on?_

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows, “What did you do to my auntie?”

“I-I didn’t do anything!”

_PADME: Sabé? Sabé!_

Ahsoka pointed to the phone, “Give me the phone.”

Sabé handed her the phone.

_AHSOKA: Hello?_

_PADME: A-Ahsoka, hey._

_AHSOKA: Auntie Padmé?_

_PADME: Hey, it’s me._

_AHSOKA: Auntie! A-are you…okay? What did she do to you?!_

_PADME: (chuckle) Ahsoka, she didn’t do anything._

_AHSOKA: Well, why is she pretending to be you?!_

_PADME: Okay, this is going to be a bit hard to explain._

_AHSOKA: Just-just…explain!_

_PADME: Well, you see, I…met a princess yesterday. To be more specific, I’m talking about Princess, uh, Sabé, the one who’s going to get married to that Prince Anakin. If you don’t remember, we heard it in the news. The thing was we looked somewhat…alike. Well, not somewhat, really, as we basically look like one another. I learned this when we met in the public toilet, and Sabé said we couldn’t let this one go, so the next day, I went to the palace with her, and we talked._

_AHSOKA: Okay, then…?_

_PADME: Sabé said she wanted to feel what it was like to live…normally and suggested that we swap places until Christmas Eve, and we did. Right now, I am in the palace, and she is…there._

_AHSOKA: Wait, wait, wait, so you’re telling me that I am looking at a princess right now?_

_PADME: (sigh) Yes._

_AHSOKA: Oh…_

_PADME: Please don’t tell Obi-Wan about this._

_AHSOKA: Well, you have to give me something in return first._

_PADME: Heh, I already have something in return for you._

_AHSOKA: What is it?_

_PADME: Ask Sabé._

Ahsoka turned to her, “What is it?”

Sabé giggled weakly, “Well, you see, Padmé told me about your wish to get into this…rather expensive dance studio, so in return for her accepting my wishes of living her life for a short while, I will be your sponsor, so you can get into this studio without any worry. All you really have to do is let your father know if he doesn’t already.”

Ahsoka gaped for a bit before slowly nodding, “Okay, I…guess I have that something in return now.”

_PADME: So, are you happy now._

_AHSOKA: Uh, yeah._

_PADME: Cool, so are you not gonna tell Obi-Wan?_

_AHSOKA: Mm, nope._

_PADME: Great, so can you please give Sabé the phone now and go back the bed?_

_AHSOKA: I’ll give her the phone, but I do not want to go back to bed._

_PADME: Ahsoka…_

_AHSOKA: (groan) Fine…_

Ahsoka handed the phone to Sabé, and the princess watched as she reluctantly made her way back to bed. When the door was weakly shut, Sabé sighed relievedly and stood there for a bit before she remembered that she was on a call with someone.

_PADME: Uh, Sabé?_

_SABE: Oh, right._

_PADME: Well, we didn’t slip through this time…_

_SABE: Yes, I…suppose we didn’t._

_PADME: Oh, well, it could have been worse._

_SABE: You are quite the optimist, I must admit._

_PADME: Heh, I take that as a compliment._

_SABE: Of course, you would._

_PADME: Let’s hope we can count on Ahsoka to not tell her dad about this because if we do, we are in quite a bit of trouble._

_SABE: Yes, we definitely would be if she were to do that, but I hope the sponsorship was enough to get her to agree to our terms._

_PADME: Yes, yes._

_SABE: A sponsorship into an expensive dance studio is quite appealing, so I think she should abide by the terms._

_PADME: Are you going to…strip her of that privilege if she doesn’t?_

_SABE: Oh, no, no, no, that could lead to further problems. I have a feeling that giving her the idea that I will strip her of it should be enough to keep her from…not abiding by them._

_PADME: Yeah, I guess you’re right._

_SABE: Well, I’ll leave you to have a good night then?_

_PADME: I guess so. Good night._

_SABE: Good night._

The call ended.


	9. Chapter 9

It was almost an hour after she and Sabé ended their call, yet Padmé still couldn’t find sleep. It wasn’t like her mind was drowning in other thoughts of sorts, but rather, she simply couldn’t get some sleep. Quite clearly, she didn’t know why she couldn’t get sleep, and if she were to try and figure out why, it would only hamper her from sleep even more. As she laid in bed, frustrated to go without sleep, she found herself wanting more and more to get out of bed and do something else. She knew that at some point, she would give up trying to sleep and throw in the towel, but it was only a matter of when she would.

Padmé groaned and covered her face with a pillow, “No sleep. Why?”

She tossed the pillow aside and sat up. Since she forced her eyes shut for a while, she rubbed them to get rid of the “sleepy” feeling. She then got up to her feet and pushed the curtain aside to look outside the window. The moon hovered over everyone and everything, and the dark night sky covered up the once bustling world. The evening was surprisingly quiet, all things considered, but she supposed that living in such a palace would come with the benefit of a quiet sleep.

She then wondered what exactly she could do before trying to sleep again.

 _A walk outside? Stay on the balcony?_ , she thought. _Maybe do anything?_

She turned to the door, thinking about leaving, and eventually, she walked out of the room to head for the balcony. There weren’t many staff walking around, but there were still some, and they all greeted her accordingly. Padmé wanted to ignore them all, but it might seem rude, so she replied with small nods of acknowledgement. The balcony wasn’t far, however.

She entered the balcony, and there were some chairs nearby, one of which she sat on. She sat down and looked up at the night sky with all its stars looking down at everyone. It was a quiet place, a quiet night, and she liked that. Things were simple, and she liked that. She could feel like herself, and she liked that.

“Couldn’t get some sleep, I suppose?”, someone said as they walked up behind her.

She turned around and saw Anakin there before replying, “No.”

“Well, I suppose I could,” he sat down next to her.

She raised an eyebrow, “If you could, why are you here? Why not try and get sleep?”

“Sometimes,” Anakin sighed as he looked up at the stars himself. “I simply decide to sit here and look up at the stars, perhaps to reflect or gather all my thoughts around. If my thoughts are in a bother, this is usually the first place I would go to.”

“So, your thoughts are in a bother then, I assume?”, she raised an eyebrow. “That’s why you are here?”

“Yes,” he chuckled. “You read my mind.”

“No, you left your mind wide open,” she quipped. “It was easy to read because of that.”

He shrugged, “Good point.”

“So, tell me what’s on your mind, come on. We’re both out here together, so we might as well talk.”

“I have just been thinking about…my future, I suppose you could say,” he murmured. “It has kept me up and thinking occasionally.”

“What is it about?”, she asked. “If you are…willing to tell me, of course.”

“Yes, I am, just…give me a bit,” he sat back. “Sometimes, I just…think about what’ll happen to me in the future, about what’ll happen when I inevitably take the crown.”

“What’s so bad about it?”

“The crown, you see, it’s more than just something worth much money, more than just something that emphasizes authority, it’s…a burden. It’s a burden that all the crown princes or crown princesses are destined to face.”

“In…what way?”

“Well, the most obvious one would be all the duties that we have to attend to, all the pressure piled on us, but…there’s more: If there’s one thing a royal family is all about, it’s…all about traditions, or the tradition of the lack thereof.”

She raised an eyebrow, “What are you saying?”

“When we take the throne, it’s become tradition that we…bring something new to the table, that we do more than just lead the monarchy. See, my grandmother, she was…always quite…different and rebellious. You know the idea of consorts, correct? The one wherein a man would usually not get the equivalent of his wife’s titles because it would give everyone the idea that they are of higher ranking?”

“Uh, yes,” she nodded. “W-what about it?”

“My grandmother, she, uh, coaxed the Parliament to change that. If a man were to marry into the family, they would have the equivalent of their wife’s titles and vice versa. Apparently, it was unfair for both sides. That’s what Mummy told me, at least. I do not know how she did, and quite frankly, I doubt I ever will,” he explained. “My mummy and daddy, they, uh, modernized the monarchy, in a way. One of the most notable ones was bringing me into an actual school rather than simply getting a governess to teach me in the palace, but there are lots more, I tell you.”

“And, what’s your problem here?”

“My problem is that I don’t know what I can bring to the table, how I can leave my mark on the monarchy,” Anakin replied. “Everyone says that I should just…express myself, but I don’t know how I can, I don’t _think_ I can. Every time I think about doing something interesting, doing something different, this…voice starts speaking in my head and tells me that I shouldn’t, that everyone will ridicule me if I do, that everyone will criticize me if I do, that I should just…be normal, if you can even consider being a king as being normal.”

“Well, just ignore that voice then.”

“It’s not that simple, surely you must understand.”

She bit her lip before eventually slowly nodding, “I suppose you’re right.”

“I don’t know, really. Sometimes, I just…feel as though I am not meant to be a prince, as though I’m not really a prince at all.”

“I disagree. You truly are a prince. As…sentimental as I may sound, you have a good heart, good intentions, and a good soul. I feel as though that’s enough.”

“Everyone else would say otherwise,” Anakin quipped. “That right there is the big problem here.”

“Well, ignore all that and just try, just…go ahead and show who you are, who you wish that they see you as. What if it was simple? What if you could simply ignore that voice and express yourself? Don’t you see? Anakin, darling, it’s…all in your mind. Push forward, get going, don’t let what you fear stop you.”

He placed a hand on his face and sighed before shaking his head slowly, “I just…don’t know.”

She frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Tell you what, we’re visiting this orphanage tomorrow if you remember. If we spend some time there, I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a clear decision on expressing yourself and all, alright? We can leave this for tomorrow. For now, we should just go back to our rooms and get some sleep.”

“You’re right,” he whispered.

She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, “Good night.”

He stood up, “Good night.”

____________________

The two were eventually able to get sleep and woke up the following day just on time to get ready for their visit to the orphanage. They weren’t together when they spent breakfast, but they would be later. Cordé would come with them and so would Anakin’s gentleman-in-waiting, and the four would all ride in the same vehicle. Threepio, the aforementioned gentleman-in-waiting, would be driving them to the orphanage.

Anakin and Padmé left Cordé and Threepio alone by the car as they went into the orphanage, and there, they meet the woman taking care of the orphans. She was, somewhat unsurprisingly, an elder woman, especially as she ran an orphanage that looked somewhat old compared to the other places nearby. However, there was no need for it to be modernized or revamped, really, as it still worked anyway.

The children there were gathered into a room, and a small chair was placed in front of them all as they sat down, forming a small circle. Either Anakin or Padmé had to read, and since it was clear that Anakin seemed hesitant, Padmé read instead. Anakin stood by the sidelines with the caregiver as they watched Padmé sit down, open the book, and began reading the story within. He smiled as he watched and listened.

Padmé looked at the children before closing the book, “And, the end!”

Some of the children applauded, prompting all the others to applaud as well. Padmé smiled in acknowledgement and placed the book down on the floor. The caregiver walked up in front of the children, “Kids, let’s all say ‘thank you’ to Princess Sabé.”

“Thank you, Princess Sabé!”, they replied as one.

Padmé stood up before smiling and replying, “You’re very welcome, all of you.”

As Padmé went off to the side, the caregiver spoke, “Now, I suppose it’s about time that all of you have fun at the playground.”

They cheered, and the children went off to play over at the playground.

“You did very well,” Anakin said to Padmé, a small smile on his face. “Very, very well.”

“Thank you,” she replied, a smile on her own face.

Curiously, the two went to see the children playing over by the playground.

Some parts of it were out in the open area but were still above flooring whereas the others were on the grass. The sole part of it on the flooring was a _Twister_ mat, and everything else such as the slide and the swing were on the grass. All the children seemed to be busy out on the grass.

“Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves,” Anakin observed, his voice being shortly followed by the kids’ laughter.

“Yes, they really are,” Padmé agreed, smiling.

He noticed her smile, “You have a smile on your face, yet it’s…odd. Tell me, do you have something on your mind?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she smirked as she looked up at him.

He raised an eyebrow, “What is it then?”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe we could…play? It might help you feel a bit more confident. Let some of all that tense feelings out and…just enjoy for a bit. You might find it enjoyable.”

“Play with them?”, he scoffed. “Do you know how ridiculous I would look on the grass?”

She laughed, “We aren’t going to play on the grass. We can just play…that.”

She pointed to the Twister mat.

“What? The…mat with…large colored circles?”

“It’s called _Twister_ , Anakin,” she pointed out with a weak laugh. “You’ve never played it before?”

“Not if I remember, no,” he shook his head.

“Well, let’s play it now,” she began taking off her heels.

“What? Now?”

“Yes, now, take off your shoes this instant,” she pointed to the aforementioned shoes.

He did.

And, they played.

____________________

Laughing as they sloppily tried to fixed their messed up hair, Anakin and Padmé went back to the car to meet Cordé and Threepio, who were both obviously waiting there for much longer than they would have hoped. If they were really annoyed by the wait, they were both doing a good job of hiding it, for sure.

Threepio’s eyes widened, “Oh, sir, I mean no offense, but what has happened to your hair?!”

Padmé answered instead, the grin still on her face, “Long story, we promise we’ll tell you all about it later. Now, I suppose we could go back to the palace now.

Cordé opened the door for both of them before going to the seat next to that of the driver’s.

As Threepio began driving back to the palace, Anakin turned to Padmé with a smile.

“I loved that,” he said. “Thank you.”

She smiled back at him, “You are very welcome.”


	10. Chapter 10

The night rose quickly above the giveaway shop, and after all of them ate dinner, they all prepared to watch a movie together (Ahsoka came up with that idea). Conveniently enough, the large room which they all slept in had an empty space, a projector, and a project screen, so they could watch whatever they wanted as long as they had the laptop to do so, which they did have. Before the movie night started, Sabé forgot what the password to the laptop was and called Padmé. Luckily, she got an answer quickly and she did so without being caught, though that was probably just as Ahsoka was busy doing something she didn’t know at the time.

Sabé looked through Padmé’s folder for movies and found that most of the movies were in a folder called “Romcoms.” Searching it up, it was a shortcut for romantic comedy. She decided to choose a movie there, especially as everyone was insistent on a watching a romcom for their movie night. While she was busy choosing, everyone sat down in front of the projector screen with some pillows to hug or to get comfortable with. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka sat by the side, and they were simply waiting for her to get a movie playing. She got one playing and scooted over to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

“Finally,” Obi-Wan sighed as he handed her a pillow. “Took you a while.”

“Mhm,” Sabé rolled her eyes as she sat down and took the pillow. “Thank you very much.”

The movie started, and they all watched silently. The movie was also two hours long, so pillows might come in handy at some point. Sabé noticed Ahsoka shooting quick glances at her and Obi-Wan, but she decided not to catch her because it probably wouldn’t do much to stop her. She decided to ignore this, focusing on the movie and on- nevermind…

As the movie went on, Sabé found herself feeling somewhat sleepy, yet the pillow wasn’t exactly providing her a lot of comfort. She turned and noticed Ahsoka was now leaning against Obi-Wan, but she shook her head, trying not to get any sort of ideas from this. Once again, Ahsoka shot a glance. Sabé looked back, and Ahsoka quickly turned back to the screen before slowly finding her way out of Obi-Wan’s grasp. When she did, she shot another quick glance.

The movie went on and on, yet there was still a good 30 minutes until the movie would come to an end. Sleepy as she was, Sabé involuntarily leaned against Obi-Wan, placing her head on his shoulder, and it seemed as though Ahsoka had kept a fair bit of distance at this point. She could’ve sworn she heard someone snickering, but she shrugged it off.

A minute or two later, an arm was wrapped around her, and she could hear a quiet squeal as it pressed against the top of her head.

____________________

As Sabé snored while she slept, she could feel herself moving, or rather, being moved. It was almost as if someone was carrying her. She was let down, and everything became softer, as if she were laid on a bed. Something was laid over her, something warm and soft, as if it were a blanket. Someone leaned over and pressed something against her forehead, as if it were lips.

“Sweet dreams, Padmé.”

____________________

The night passed, and Obi-Wan was the first to wake up. He felt no need to wake _Padmé_ up and instead decided to begin preparing breakfast himself and with the help of a few others. While he was busy searching through for a recipe he wasn’t too familiar with, Ahsoka entered the kitchen, “Good morning, Dad.”

“Good morning, Ahsoka,” he replied with a smile. “Doing alright?”

“Yep,” she nodded before stretching her arms. “I’m great.”

Ahsoka drank some milk before Obi-Wan noticed her looking at him with curious eyes, “Something up?”

She smirked, “Well, I noticed something yesterday.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, “And, what exactly is that, dearest?”

“Don’t you know? Don’t you remember what Auntie Padmé did when she was feeling sleepy? Hmm?”

Obi-Wan groaned, “Come on, Ahsoka, it was just one evening. Let it pass. I promise that there is absolutely nothing going on between us, alright?”

She scoffed, “Oh, please, Dad, you are not that good at hiding stuff, and you know it.”

“There’s nothing!”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow and simply shook her head slowly.

Obi-Wan sighed, “Okay, fine…”

“Admit it, Dad, come on,” Ahsoka mumbled.

“Yes, yes, I suppose I do have feelings for…Padmé,” he admitted. “I suppose I do, you’re right.”

Ahsoka squealed and hopped up and down in joy before she calmed down and spoke, “You have to tell her, Dad.”

“What?”, he shook his head vigorously. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I am not telling her.”

His daughter frowned, “Why not?”

“Because it’s obvious she won’t return the feelings,” Obi-Wan replied weakly. “It’s obvious she doesn’t love me back, you know?”

“Come on, you didn’t even see anything yet!”, she exclaimed. “You don’t even know!”

“And, I would rather not know,” he quipped. “Like I said, it’s pretty obvious that she won’t return the feelings. She would’ve shown signs by now if she did.”

“You never know, maybe she did, and you didn’t notice it.”

“I don’t think so. I’m more observant than you think.”

“You’re less observant than you think,” she countered. “Like, much less observant.”

“Yeah, no.”

She groaned, “Just…give it a try! You never know!”

“No,” he replied stubbornly.

“Pleaseeeeeeeee?”

Obi-Wan facepalmed, “Fine, I’ll _think_ about it.”

Ahsoka grinned, “Great.”

He then raised a finger, “Don’t get optimistic though. I don’t want to disappoint you should I most likely fail.”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

____________________

Today was quiet, yet it wasn’t just any day, it was the day before Christmas Eve, meaning she and Sabé would switch today. Anakin was busy and would have to deal with some sort of matter, and Padmé would be left alone for a while. With that, she sat in her room watching some movies through the extravagant television there for her to enjoy as she didn’t really have anything she could do, nothing to prepare for any future time and all, so she could enjoy herself for now. There were a few movies that caught her eye, and she chose the shortest one.

Her phone was right next to her throughout the viewing, and she felt more and more tempted to use it as she really had something in mind. She wanted to know a bit more about Sabé’s eventual marriage with Anakin. She wanted to see what were the grounds on it, and she wanted to know exactly what a _somewhat arranged_ marriage is, considering the term Sabé used was admittedly quite generic. The thing is she needed to know who probably proposed the idea at first. She knew Sabé told her about this, but she couldn’t remember exactly who it was.

Ah, yes, of course, that’s right.

King Valen.

Sabé’s brother.

 _Exactly how am I supposed to call him? Surely, Sabé would know, but it’s not like she would tell me._ _Well, perhaps Cordé would know? I doubt it, but there’s not really anyone else who might know except for her: She knows Sabé very well, maybe even a bit too well, but who am I to judge? Eh, might as well ask her._

She knew Cordé was sat in the living room doing whatever she could do to keep herself busy as Padmé was insistent on her enjoying herself for a bit before, but she kept declining as it felt like it was against her duties. Luckily, Padmé knew how to be annoyingly persistent, and eventually, she got her to accept. If she was watching TV or anything like that, Padmé wouldn’t be surprised. She left her bedroom to check on Cordé and ask her about how to contact Sabé’s brother, and that was assuming she did know how, which Padmé doubted she did.

Cordé was stood by the window, looking outside, and Padmé got her attention, “Cordé?”

She turned around, “Ah, Your Royal Highness.”

“I just wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “Er, ask away?”

“You know Sabé’s brother, right?”

“King Valen? Of course, why do you ask?”

“I…wanted to know if you knew how to contact him. I simply wish to know something.”

She frowned, “I do know, but couldn’t you just ask Sabé?”

“I just wanna talk to him if you would let me.”

“Uh, alright, but are you sure? He can be rather…grumpy if you catch him in a bad mood.”

“I’m sure, don’t worry.”

“A-alright,” she stammered. “Just…give me a moment.”

Cordé looked through her own bag which she occasionally carried around, and she pulled out a small, crumpled note, something that Padmé wasn’t expecting from a woman as organized as her. Cordé made her way over to her and showed her what was on the small piece of paper, and as Padmé expected, it was a phone number. Padmé asked if she could borrow it, and Cordé let her. Padmé then scuttled back to her room to call the number, ignoring Cordé’s warning that Valen may or may not be busy as of the moment. Padmé jumped on her bed and typed in the number.

She waited for an answer.

_VALEN: Hello?_

_PADME: H-hello._

_VALEN: Ah, Sabé, I was just getting ready to deal with some papers. I’m glad you called me now because those papers seem like a rather annoying stack._

_PADME: Ah, yes, they would very much leave you grumpy, I’m sure._

_VALEN: Hehe, yes, well, anyway, what is the matter? I doubt you would call me to simply check up on me._

_PADME: No, no, that’s not why._

_VALEN: Well, what is it then?_

_PADME: I was just wanting to ask a question about the, uh, grounds of my marriage with, uh, Anakin. I just want to clarify a few things._

_VALEN: Oh, of course, ask away._

_PADME: Now, it’s not that I wish to…cancel it or anything, assuming I can, but I was just wondering if should I need to, I could…back out of the marriage._

_VALEN: Well, you…very much can though I would be curious as you agreed to this in the first place. Regardless, like I said, you can, but also, it might cause a public nightmare should that happen. Not to mention, you should tell Anakin about this. If you are considering it, I do recommend that you choose wisely, dear sister. That is what Mother would say._

_PADME: Yes, definitely._

_VALEN: I still wish she and Father were around._

_PADME: I…do, too._

_VALEN: Well, anyway, I…suppose I should probably begin shuffling through this stack of papers, so…carry on, I would say?_

_PADME: Yes, yes, uh, bye?_

_VALEN: Goodbye._

The call ended.

____________________

The moon hovered all over the lands as it was deep and dark into the evening now. Padmé was sat in the palace grounds as she waited for Sabé to arrive and for the two of them to switch back.

“Couldn’t sleep again?”, she heard him as he walked up to her.

It was Anakin.

He sat down next to her like before, “I sure couldn’t.”

Padmé chuckled lightly, “Well, interesting, but how did you know where I am?”

“Ah, well, I was staying up there by the balcony and saw you from there, so I went down here to pay you a visit.”

“I see.”

“Though…I suppose there was some other reason as well.”

She turned to him, curiosity sparking, “What do you mean?”

He shook his head slowly, “Well, it’s…something hard to put my finger on, for sure, but all I know is that…”

“Still can’t put your finger on it?”, she raised an eyebrow, remaining cautiously optimistic about the whole situation.

He laughed weakly, “No, I can’t.”

“Come on, think!”, she said before laughing weakly as well.

“All I’ve been thinking is that…I’m marrying you one day, in two days.”

“Yes,” she slowly nodded.

“And, I know that officially, I would be able to call you my wife, but you and I both know that…would really just be a title and…nothing more than that.”

Padmé decided not to reply.

“Though if you ask me now, I think I might be able to differ, that perhaps it could be more.”

“W-what…do you mean?”

“I mean this.”

She watched as he moved his hand up to her face, and she let him lead as he brought her in for a kiss. No matter how wrong this might feel, how unusual it felt, it felt…right in a way. It felt like this was meant to be, like it really was her and Anakin, like all this mess was to bring them together. It felt like desti-

_No._

She quickly pulled out, leading to a slightly confused and almost apologetic face from Anakin.

“No,” Padmé replied simply, looking down and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry,” Anakin whispered.

“I-I’m not mad, don’t worry, b-but…could you just…leave me for a bit?”

He nodded and got up, “Of course.”

She could hear him walking away.

She covered her face.

She cried. 


	11. Chapter 11

After a bit of crying, sobbing, and genuinely feeling miserable, Padmé eventually wiped the tears away and calmed herself down, forcing herself to think of something else, something that _wouldn’t_ make her feel so miserable. She did just that, and it did seem to work. She would gladly call herself lucky that it did because she knew Sabé would bombard her with questions if she caught her crying. Right now, she was sat underneath the night sky as she waited for Sabé to arrive, and surely, she would arrive any minute now. Her head then jolted as she heard something shuffling around on the ground, and she saw Sabé making her way to her.

Sabé waved, “Padmé!”

Padmé gave a small smile and stood up, “Sabé.”

The two hugged knowing they would finally be making it to the end of this _journey_. Padmé sighed relievedly, sinking into the hug for whatever reason.

“Thank you,” Sabé whispered.

“For what?”

“For…everything, for accepting my offer, for letting me live a…slightly more normal life for once. Thank you.”

Padmé chuckled weakly before shaking her head, “It’s nothing, but…you’re welcome, anyway.”

Sabé ended the hug, stepped back, and sighed, “Well, I suppose we might as well change back now. We can’t be the other forever.”

Padmé slowly nodded, “Yes, we…can’t.”

Sabé noticed the paused and gave a small frown along with slight concern, “Is there…something wrong?”

She shook her head quickly, “No, no, I’m alright.”

“Alright, then, let us go inside?”

She nodded, “Yep, Cordé’s probably waiting for us now.”

____________________

They were all in Sabé’s living area now, and when the two got there, Cordé went off to get their clothing and other necessary things for them to switch back to their true identities. In the meantime, Padmé and Sabé were sat next to each other on a couch in the living room, relaxing as they waited for the lady-in-waiting to return. Padmé was tempted to turn on the television and watch something, but she decided otherwise just before Sabé spoke.

“I am not going to lie, I will miss…living your life.”

Padmé laughed, “I guess I’ll miss living yours as well. It was pretty nice, all things considered.”

“Yours was great as well.”

She shrugged, “Can’t blame you for loving my life.”

“Obi-Wan is a darling man, I must say,” Sabé added. “Quite charming as well.”

Padmé turned to her, “Wait, what?”

Sabé raised an eyebrow, “What? I was simply complimenting him. Is there something wrong?”

“No, no, but you said he was…charming, right?”

“Uh, yes,” Sabé nodded. “Why?”

“Do you-are you…into him?”, Padmé asked, though her face was completely unreadable in Sabé’s eyes. “Are you into Obi-Wan?”

“What?!”, Sabé shrieked before shaking her head vigorously. “No, no, no, I was just…complimenting, I would say.”

Padmé scoffed, “I don’t think so.”

Sabé sighed before stopping for a moment to think.

“So…?”, Padmé prompted. “You _are_ into him, aren’t you?”

Sabé frowned, sighed once again, and nodded, “Well, I…suppose you’re right. I suppose I am into him.”

Padmé grinned, “I gotcha.”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I always thought he was…quite charming from the very beginning, but it never felt like it was going to go any more than that. Then, he… _reeled_ me in, I suppose you could say. Overtime, my feelings changed.”

Padmé patted her shoulder, “I see. It’s…a shame we can’t do much about it then, I guess.”

Sabé nodded before turning to her to change the topic, “How was Anakin?”

Padmé didn’t understand, “Hm?”

“How was Anakin?”, she repeated. “How was it spending time with him? I assume you enjoyed it? It would be a shame if you didn’t, and it would also be…a bit of a sorry situation to be honest.”

“Oh, don’t worry, it was great, he was…cool,” Padmé responded with a smile. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

Sabé smirked, “Tell you what, define _cool_.”

She raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Just go on and…be more specific.”

“Well, it was…lots of fun being with him. When we walked together, it almost always felt like-like…we were detached from everything else, like we were in our own little bubble, really. Everything was pretty good. The ball was great as well, though I probably already told you that.”

“You did,” Sabé confirmed. “Carry on.”

“Um, i-it…really was great. I can’t put my finger on, but I was happy with him, f-for sure.”

“You seem…odd,” Sabé observed. “You seem like you want to say more, like there is more to that.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, please, you are hiding something. It is far too obvious now, so…just say it.”

Padmé sighed, “ _Something_ happened between us earlier this evening.”

Sabé frowned, “What happened? Is it bad?”

“No, no, but…it sure hurt.”

“What happened then? You can tell me anything, Padmé.”

“When I was back at the palace grounds to wait for you to arrive, he came over. He said he couldn’t get sleep and went to the balcony, but he saw me from there and decided to go down and see me. We, uh, talked for a bit, and…he did something that I really wasn’t expecting. Then again, whatever that was, I…gladly accepted it.”

Sabé smiled softly, “It was a kiss, wasn’t it? I’ve learned enough from romcoms to know that this is _that_ moment.”

Padmé laughed sadly, “I-I…guess it is.”

Sabé noticed the frown, “You seem…quite sad about this. Why? Wouldn’t you be happy that you found love? Wouldn’t anyone be?”

“This love isn’t like the other,” she shook her head slowly. “This one won’t last because it _can’t_ last.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean: We can’t be together because we live completely different lives, and I’m sure that I’ll be able to get over it at some point. I know that there are a lot of things in life that really are worth a try, but this really doesn’t seem like one of them if you ask me. Tempting as it may be to try something, we…have a duty to…live our own lives, I guess you could say, and I think it would be better off dealing with that matter than some matter of the heart.”

Sabé sighed as she agreed to her statements, “You’re right. We do have a duty to fulfill.”

“Yes, and…we should probably just get on with it.”

Just a few seconds later, they heard someone at the door, and when they did, it opened to reveal Cordé with some of the things that they needed to change back to their identities. Cordé placed some of them on the floor, clearly not having an easy time with all that she was carrying.

Cordé spoke, “My ladies, I think it would best be time that we get you two changed back.”

____________________

The night had passed, and they already swapped back. Padmé was back at the building with the shop, and Sabé was back at her luxurious living area in the palace. Both had many thoughts running through their mind, though the more noticeable, clearer thought was all about Anakin and Obi-Wan, about those two… _intriguing_ men, about those two men whom they could not be with, about those two men who have struck their heart, all about them.

Cordé noticed the look on Sabé’s face, “Your Royal Highness, are you quite alright?”

Sabé nodded weakly, “I am fine, Cordé, yes.”

The lady-in-waiting shook her head slowly, “I doubt it, ma’am. You look anything but fine if you ask me. You do know you can tell me anything.”

“I know,” Sabé sighed. “Just give me a moment, okay?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “Would you like me to leave you alone for a while?”

“No, just-just…give me a moment to think through everything.”

“Okay,” Cordé replied, and she simply stood there and waited for Sabé to speak up and explain her mood.

“It’s about…my time as Padmé, actually,” Sabé said after a bit of silence. “It’s about my time as her and what I felt during that. A lot has changed ever since we left this place with different identities, and it didn’t take long for me to, uh, notice that.”

Cordé raised an eyebrow, “What are you saying?”

“I wish I didn’t know, but it’s all about Obi-Wan.”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi? Padmé’s friend? Is that whom you are talking about?”, she asked. “If so, what about him?”

“I spent a lot of time with him all throughout, and at first, I felt like we would be able to reach a friendship.”

“And, you didn’t?”

“No, I did, but…I wasn’t expecting it to turn out to be something-something…more.”

Cordé gave a knowing look, “I think I know how you are feeling, ma’am.”

Sabé scoffed, “Well, you could say I know it, too.”

“Ma’am, you _are_ in love, aren’t you? With Obi-Wan?”

“Yes, I am,” Sabé nodded with a sigh. “I am in love with him, and that is the problem here. I do not really know what to do with these…feelings, and I doubt I ever will know, really. I am at a dead end.”

“Would you not just _capitalize_ on those feelings? Would you not just _pursue_ him?”

“You know it’s not as easy as that, Cordé. I have a duty to do, a purpose to fulfill, and I cannot let my feelings get in the way of my wedding with Anakin. I will do all I can to let the feelings pass, but no matter whether I fail with that or not, I will face it. I know it will be difficult, but you know how I am, I’ll face this head on myself. Hopefully, I can end up on the other side.”

Cordé sighed and shook her head, “No, ma’am, I don’t want you facing it like that.”

“Well, how do you want me to face this then?”

The lady-in-waiting sat down next to her, “How about we talk for a bit?”

____________________

Padmé sighed as she sat down on the bed. Busy as she was with reflecting, her mind was doing more than her body was at this point in time, and it had been that way for quite some time. There was not much to do, so reflecting felt like a good idea for her. She was only planning on doing it for a short while, but she found herself reflecting for much longer than planned. Unsurprisingly, it was all about Anakin.

She knew how she felt towards him. She knew how much she wanted to be with him. She knew how much her thoughts on him had changed throughout her time together. She knew how happy she could be with him. She knew she had all the right feelings to know how she felt towards him. She knew her life had changed ever since she met him. She knew how much she loved him.

She knew it couldn’t happen.

She knew _they_ couldn’t happen.

She covered her face with her hands and groaned.

Just as she did, she heard someone walking up to her.

“Auntie Padmé?”

“Oh, Ahsoka,” Padmé looked up at her.

“Is it…really you? As in, the _actual_ you?”

She laughed weakly before nodding, “Yeah, it’s me. I’m back.”

Ahsoka slowly nodded, “That was pretty cool.”

“What was pretty cool?”

“You know, what you did with Sabé, switching and all. That was pretty cool.”

Padmé smiled softly, “Thanks, I thought it was pretty cool, too.”

Ahsoka then frowned, “Is…there something up?”

“What are you saying? Nothing’s up.”

“There’s something… _off_ about you. I know it’s the real you, but you seem pretty sad. You seemed that way earlier as well when I was gonna talk to you,” Ahsoka explained. “Is there something wrong?”

Padmé sighed, “Yes, there is.”

Ahsoka sat next to her, “Can you tell me about it?”

“Would it be fine if I…don’t?”

“Why?”

“I just want a bit of private time if you don’t mind. I just wanna…reflect on some things, I guess. Is that fine?”

“O-okay,” Ahsoka stood up. “I’ll see you then.”

Once Ahsoka left, Padmé fell back into the troubles of the mind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas :)

The gloomy night had passed, and it was now the day of the wedding and also Christmas. With that, Sabé didn’t do much in the early morning apart from preparing for the wedding, and Cordé didn’t do much apart from helping her prepare. Cordé seemed oddly sad and almost disappointed while helping her prepare, and Sabé knew why. She felt regretful of what she said during their talk the day before, but that time had passed, and it was now time for the wedding and for her to move on to a new, more interesting part of her life as the crown prince’s wife and consort, more specifically her new life as the Crown Princess of Coruscant.

Time passed, and now, the final preparations before she would have to go for the wedding would take place.

Sabé looked at the mirror and smiled softly before asking, “Well, how do I look?”

“You look lovely, I must say,” Cordé answered.

“Well, thank you.”

Cordé then frowned, “Are you quite sure about what I said though?”

“Said about what?”, she raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“I am talking about what we talked about yesterday and what your final decision was. Are you sure about that? Are you quite sure that you are making the right choice?”

Sabé sighed and nodded, “Yes, Cordé, I am sure. I know what I must put first.”

“Very well,” Cordé murmured. “I understand.”

“Well, don’t you think we should get going? We don’t really have much time now.”

Cordé nodded, “We really don’t.”

____________________

They were closing in on the cathedral. Being the royal wedding that it was, Sabé would arrive on a carriage and be escorted out. She knew that she couldn’t put a foot wrong today as unsurprisingly, the wedding was televised and would be shown all across the two nations as this wedding would hold together the bond of the Coruscant and Naboo. The wedding would go down in history in many different ways for many different reasons, and that gave her all the more reasons as to why she couldn’t mess this one up.

Cordé was no longer with her, but rather, it was the men who were escorting her that was with her in the carriage. All of them were silent, and she was, too, silently watching as they closed in on the cathedral. She knew Anakin was there waiting for her, stood in front with his suit on while everyone would be watching from their seats solemnly and serenely. She knew she would be the center of attention.

They arrived.

One of her escorts got off the carriage and offered his hand to help her down. Her wedding dress was doing her no favors though the free, genuine tiara she got for free easily made up for it. She slowly walked up the steps, and she stopped in front for a moment to see all the people inside waiting for her and ready to watch the event take place. She could also see a few cameras there to record the entire event and show it on live television.

She took a deep breath and continued walking.

With no one to escort her, she walked alone.

Everyone was looking at her as she walked down the aisle.

Anakin was stood in front, waiting for her patiently.

She smiled softly as their eyes met.

She kept walking.

Shortly after, she stood in front of him.

Anakin smiled down at her.

Then, it all began.

The wedding ceremony began, and everything went on fine. Everything was going just fine, at least in Sabé’s eyes. She would occasionally shoot glances at everyone else, and they all seemed to be doing just fine as well. Anakin was doing fine. Everyone else sitting in front of their televisions were probably doing fine as well. Everything was fine. Perfectly fine. Completely fine.

Of course, it wasn’t going to remain that way forever.

And, it didn’t.

Not like it was much of a surprise.

There had to be something bad that would happen.

It was all smooth running until they reached the “speak now or forever hold your peace part.”

Of course, you probably guessed what exactly is going to happen.

Someone was bound to interrupt.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace,” the officiator said.

Everyone gasped.

Sabé turned.

Indeed, someone stood.

It was a woman, someone whom she didn’t recognize.

“The bride, she seems hesitant, she seems to be having doubts,” the woman said.

Sabé’s eyes widened.

_Oh, dear._

She knew how she noticed it. She made it rather obvious after having circled around the thoughts of what Cordé said yesterday and beginning to regret what she said, and she found herself wanting to change that, wanting to agree to her because Cordé was completely right. Cordé was completely right, and Sabé knew this from the very beginning, but she was simply too ignorant, she supposed.

Sabé looked down in shame, nervousness written all over her face as well.

Anakin looked down at her with sympathy, “Sabé, darling, if you really feel you cannot do this, you don’t have to.”

Sabé knew she couldn’t. She knew Cordé was right. Cordé was right in that the heart should come first in times like these, that Anakin wasn’t the one for her, that she couldn’t be the one to marry him, that there was someone else who could, someone else who _should._ She knew it wasn’t her.

Determinedly, she speaks up to him, “Get me my phone.”

“W-what?”, he stuttered, clearly confused.

“Get me my phone,” she repeated.

He nodded, “A-alright.”

He asked for her phone extremely awkwardly, and it was clear everyone else was confused as well. There were whispers and murmurs everywhere, and Anakin asked someone to try and get them to quiet down as Sabé took the phone.

____________________

“What on earth is going on?”, Ahsoka asked as she watched what was going on in the televised wedding.

Padmé shrugged before shaking her head slowly, “I do not know.”

She watched as Sabé stepped out of the center, phone in hand as she left for the backroom. By that point, the cameraman didn’t look like they even knew where to point the camera, and with good reason.

Padmé noticed something buzzing next to her. She turned and noticed someone was calling her.

_Sabé._

She answered the call.

_PADME: Hello?_

_SABE: Padmé, uh, hello._

_PADME: Hey, so, uh, what’s up?_

_SABE: Right, um, how should I say this? Um, I don’t know if you know already, but I just so happen to be in the middle of a wedding the moment I had a change of heart._

_PADME: Change of heart? The heck are you saying?_

_SABE: Listen, just-just…put on the coatdress I gave you for you to look somewhat decent and go to the cathedral, entering via the backroom._

_PADME: What?! Why?_

_SABE: You’ll know eventually._

_PADME: Won’t I get caught?_

_SABE: You won’t. I promise._

_PADME: Ugh, fine._

_SABE: I’ll see you soon._

The call ended, and Padmé dashed to put on the coatdress. She shuffled through all of her clothing before she got herself into a more private place to change. She quickly changed and put everything she needed on and was about to go to leave when she ran into Obi-Wan.

“Uh, w-where did you get that?”, he asked awkwardly. “I’ve never seen you with that before.”

“Uh, can’t really explain right now,” she quickly walked past him.

“Wait, where are you going? I…want to talk to you.”

Padmé sighed and frowned, “I just have to go somewhere, please. When I come back, you can tell me whatever it is you want to tell me.”

“Okay,” he replied weakly.

Padmé left.

____________________

The cathedral wasn’t all that far, and for whatever reason, Padmé decided to simply run there rather than making the much wiser decision of calling a taxi. It was cold outside, but her running made facing that much easier than it actually was. She was surprised no one was noticing her and recognized her, but she never bothered with that. She crossed a few streets and ran down a few blocks before she eventually found herself closing in on the cathedral.

She snuck by the back and stopped for a moment to look for the door that should lead her into the backrooms. There was really only one door by the back, and she knew that was going to be the one. She crouched and slowly went there.

When she was there, she twisted the doorknob to open the surprisingly unlocked door, and she pulled it open.

She entered.

“Padmé, there you are,” Sabé grinned. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Well, Sabé, I would be glad as well if you would tell me _why_ I am here.”

“Right, um, I want to talk to you about…”, she trailed off.

“About who? About what?”

“About Anakin.”

“What? The guy literally standing outside, waiting for you?”

“Yes, him,” she nodded vigorously. “I want you to tell the truth.”

“W-what…do you mean?”, Padmé stuttered, confused. “What do you mean you want me to tell the truth?”

“You love him, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, I-I mean, I guess. Are you saying I should go out there and tell him?”

“Yes!”

“What?!”, Padmé shrieked. “No! Trust me, that would just cause an even bigger mess than what’s already going on.”

“Padmé, _you’re_ the one who is in love with him, not me, and for all I know, he fell in love with you and not me.”

“No, that would just be-“

“Padmé,” she interjected sternly before whispering. “Please.”

Padmé sighed and nodded concededly, “Once I tell him, what will we do by then?”

“We’ll let Anakin dictate that.”

____________________

Sabé led Padmé to the doors that should lead them into the main part of the cathedral and to Anakin. Padmé was extremely hesitant, so Sabé reassured her that she would be by her side. That was what got Padmé to agree.

“Are you ready?”, Sabé asked her.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

Sabé pushed the doors open, and the two stepped inside.

The audience gasped as one followed shortly by clear confusion.

Anakin was just as confused, “Uh, what-what…exactly is _this_?”

Sabé stepped forward, “Anakin, listen, I understand that this can all look confusing.”

“Clearly.”

“Yes, well, um, me and _her_ , we-we… _swapped places_ for a few days as I…wanted to experience a somewhat more…normal life, you would say.”

Anakin turned to Padmé, “Is this true?”

Padmé stepped forward shyly, “Y-yes.”

“I’m sorry,” Sabé murmured. “However, she does have something to say to you.”

“And, what is that?”, Anakin asked, turning to the charity head.

“Well, first off, I…should probably let you know who I am: I’m, er, Padmé N-Naberrie, and I own a charity.”

“Okay…”

“I-I know this really is confusing, but despite all that, I want you to know t-that…I am in love with you, that I do love you.”

More gasps.

She continued, “That moment that we shared together the night before Christmas Eve, that kiss, I asked you to leave because I knew it wasn’t going to work, because I knew I would never see you again.”

“Well, I’m here now,” he whispered.

Padmé closed her eyes instinctively as he placed his hands around her neck and brought her in for a kiss. Once again, that feeling came along. Once again, this all felt right. Once again, this was all the right in the world. Once again, this was-

She quickly pulled out, “No.”

“What’s wrong?”

The prince turned to the audience, and it was clear that most of them begun to understand what was going on.

“It just can’t, Anakin,” she replied simply. “I-I’m no princess, no royal, no noble. I’m just a rich, young girl who runs a charity at a young age. I’m nothing more than that, nothing that makes me worth being with you, nothing that makes me fit to be with you.”

“You know that doesn’t matter, right?”

“Anakin, I can’t handle being a princess, a-and you know that,” she shook her head vigorously, close to snapping. “All I know is how to run some charity.”

“You can still run a charity! I-I can have it converted into a royal charity, a-and you can still run it and have your children or people whom you choose to inherit it.”

“N-no.”

“Padmé, please,” he pleaded softly, taking her hands into his. “I love you, and I am not willing to give you up so easily. Please, just _stay_ …with me.”

She looked up at him, at those desperate eyes.

This was right.

It always has been.

And, all she had to do was take the step.

She nodded, “Yes, o-okay.”

They were both surprised as just about everyone in the cathedral cheered. One might say that this was not how it was supposed to go, but the wedding was admittedly already ruined the moment Padmé came.

Anakin kissed her passionately.

He pulled out shortly after, “So, um, since we are in the middle of a wedding right now, we could always get married right here, right now. Either that, or we could not if you would rather, uh, take it slowly. It’s up to you.”

“Eh, I think we should just take it slowly.”

He shrugged before nodding, “Quite understandable. However, what do you say we kiss again to pacify the audience?”

She grinned, “With pleasure.”


	13. Chapter 13

Anakin offered Padmé to stay for the evening as the day only got colder, and of course, she gladly accepted. With that, she gave Obi-Wan a call informing her that she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, and she would explain everything when she got back. She knew Sabé would admit her love for Obi-Wan by then.

Padmé’s eyes fluttered open, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that an arm of Anakin’s was still over her, hugging her and keeping her close. Anakin had offered her a room alone if she didn’t want to share a bed with him, but she remembered quickly declining the offer. Of course, she didn’t regret that.

She turned to him, and he was still soundly asleep, snoring softly. With that, she tried to slip out of his grasp without waking him up.

It didn’t work, and he stirred awake.

Padmé looked down at him awkwardly before he spoke with a husky voice, “Uh, good morning?”

She smiled weakly, “Good morning, Ani.”

He sat up, “So, darling, how was sleep? Relaxing, I would assume?”

“Yep,” she nodded. “Nice bed.”

He chuckled, “Was the arm not nice as well? I would’ve thought it would keep you at least somewhat warm.”

“It was,” she pouted. “Don’t worry, I loved that, too.”

“Good,” he sighed dramatically, leading to a scoff from Padmé.

He sat on the side of the bed, “What’s the time?”

She turned to check the time, “Uh, 7:41.”

He nodded, “Alright, just…give me a moment. I must answer nature’s calls, as they say.”

Padmé laughed and shook her head as she watched him go to the bathroom to _answer nature’s calls_.

A few minutes later, he eventually came back looking much cleaner and tidier and all.

“So, what now?”, Padmé asked, looking around to see if she could do anything. “We can’t just stand here.”

“No, we can’t, but we could always break fast and eat to start the day,” Anakin replied. “What do you say?”

“With the parents?”, she raised an eyebrow.

“No,” he shook his head. “Mummy and Daddy are busy.”

“So early in the morning?”

“Heh, yes. Trust me, I do not know why either, but I suppose it could be because they are trying to handle the mess that is yesterday’s wedding.”

“Right…”

“Well,” he offered a hand. “Shall we, my lady?”

She took his hand and grinned, “I would love to, but first, we…should get changed.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

____________________

After eating breakfast, Anakin and Padmé were set to come with Sabé to the giveaway shop where they would tell everything, so they quickly prepared. Padmé didn’t have much to change into, so Sabé gave her a few choices from her wardrobe. She chose from there. If they were lucky, not many would be there by that time and make it an even bigger mess, and they hoped they would be. Anakin’s gentleman-in-waiting would drive them there, of course. It wasn’t long since the clock hit half past 9 when they left to go to the building and see Obi-Wan.

The trip was a bit longer than expected, but it didn’t really bother them or anything as it wasn’t like they could do much with the traffic slowing them down. However, that would make it more likely that there would be many people at the giveaway shop by the time they arrived.

They arrived and parked up in front, and the three got out shortly after. Anakin, Padmé, and Sabé went into the building, and it seemed as though not many were actually inside, most being those who worked there. Sabé wore sunglasses for the time being as to not be recognized quickly by people.

Padmé walked up to one of her staff, “Hey, uh, do you know where Obi-Wan is?”

She nodded, “Yeah, he’s up there with Ahsoka.”

Padmé turned to Anakin and Sabé, “Come on now, let’s go.”

They followed her up the stairs, and they entered the large room where Padmé and company would sleep in. Obi-Wan was sat there talking to Ahsoka, and both were sat on the bed. Part of Padmé wanted to listen in for a bit, but she decided otherwise. She instead butted into the conversation, “Obi-Wan, Ahsoka.”

Obi-Wan turned to her, “Padmé, you’re back!”

“Hey,” Padmé smiled. “Yep, I’m back.”

“Uh, and…who exactly are…them?”, Obi-Wan asked.

Padmé ignored the fact that Obi-Wan didn’t recognize Anakin, instead answering nevertheless, “Well, they are the reason why I actually left yesterday.”

Sabé took off the sunglasses, “Yes, we are.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, seeing two Padmés in front of his very eyes.

“W-what exactly is this? What on Earth am I looking at?”

Padmé laughed sheepishly, “You see, there’s a very, very good explanation for this.”

She noticed Anakin taking steps back, not wanting to get involved in the conversation for the time being.

Padmé then began explaining, “Me and Sabé, we, um, met by accident at a public toilet, and of course, we quickly noticed our… _similarities._ With that, she asked me if we could see each other again at the palace, and we did. She came up with the idea of us…swapping places, so she goes as me and I go as her. We only swapped back the night before Christmas Eve.”

“Wait, wait,” Obi-Wan raised a hand. “So, if that’s true, are you saying that I’ve been spending time with Sabé for all these days and not you?”

“Yeah,” Padmé nodded slowly. “That’s kind of how it is.”

“It is,” Sabé shyly stepped forward. “However, there is…more to that, actually.”

“More? How could there be more?”, Obi-Wan replied.

“Yes, well, um,” the princess pursed her lips before continuing, making two more steps forward. “I’ve learned a lot about…many people over the last few days, and one of them was Padmé. It was always obvious that…Anakin needed someone with him. He needed someone strong, independent, and…different, but that’s not me. I’m…more normal, and I think I always have just been a normal girl. Normal girls, they want a simple man, someone who can make them happy as they return the favor.”

Obi-Wan looked very confused, “B-but, you’re not Padmé…”

“I know I’m not. I’m Sabé Scarthwaite, a Princess of Naboo.”

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, “W-wait, wait, aren’t you…supposed to marry her? Wouldn’t you be a bit, you know, mad about it?”

He shook his head, “Not really.”

Anakin looked at Padmé, “After all, I think I found the right woman for me.”

Padmé blushed.

Anakin snuck a kiss to her cheek.

“Ah, right, uh, Obi-Wan, if it hasn’t already occurred to you already, I would say that Sabé here is trying to tell you that she is in love with you,” Anakin added.

Sabé smiled shyly as she looked at Obi-Wan, and when Obi-Wan looked back, she nodded to confirm.

“Come on, Dad, just kiss her!”, Ahsoka exclaimed.

Sabé grinned, and she waited for him to do it.

He did.

It felt perfect. It really did. Padmé knew it would, and it did.

Obi-Wan eventually pulled out and smiled.

It was all right.

____________________

“And, without further ado, to finish this ceremony with its closing remarks, Her Royal Highness The Princess Padmé,” the woman said before stepping aside.

For the second time that day, Padmé stepped up to the stage. They all clapped as she did.

“Once again, I would like to thank everyone for attending this ceremony today and for lending us all of your support. Of course, making the decision to…change from the old headquarters and start a new one here was a tough one, but right now, I feel as though I’m changing my mind. Nothing has changed. Everyone is still happy, still wanting to work together to make everyone happy come next Christmas, still showing harmony throughout all the problems we have gone through or will go through, still shining with positivity. Nothing much has changed, and considering how happy I was when everything was normal for me back then, I think that’s all I can really ask for. Thank you, all of you.”

Padmé left the stage, leaving thunderous applause to come in.

A few minutes passed, and everyone began leaving.

Anakin kissed her, “You did very well.”

She scoffed, “You weren’t even there for most of the ceremony.”

“But, I was.”

“No, you weren’t,” she shook her head. “I have Sabé, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka for proof.”

“Still, I know you did well either way.”

“I disagree. I could’ve done much better, really, but eh, gotta face it.”

Anakin rolled his eyes, “You are so hard on yourself.”

Sabé, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka walked up to them.

“Ah, well, how is our newly engaged pair doing?”, Anakin said.

Obi-Wan shrugged, “Fine, I suppose.”

“Well, let me ask, was Padmé’s speech good?”

Sabé gave a so-so look, “It was alright, I would say, but she’s definitely done better ones.”

Padmé chuckled, “See? It wasn’t that good.”

Anakin groaned, “Fine, I suppose I can’t really argue with that so much.”

Padmé turned to Ahsoka, “I know you’ve known that your dad here was going to ask Sabé to marry him for a while, but I never really got to know what you thought of it.”

“I’m happy,” Ahsoka answered simply before grinning to prove her point. “Like, very happy.”

Obi-Wan added, “Apparently, she’s also excited to be able to call her ‘Mom’ soon, not that I’m surprised by it or anything. She also has told me one of her reasons yesterday which I can’t exactly remember.”

“Dad and Sabé are very different, which makes the two of ‘em even cooler,” Ahsoka said. “Dad’s the weirder one, and Sabé’s more _chill._ It’s great already!”

They all laughed it off.

Anakin and Padmé eventually went back to the palace with the groundbreaking ceremony now over. The good news was they didn’t have anything to do for the rest of the day, so they could relax by the time they got there. Of course, that was not until after they enjoyed a bath together before they had dinner. When they were done with that, they retreated to their shared bedroom to relax. They were laid in bed together in silence, completely covered in clothing before they pressed sloppy kisses to one another.

They eventually stopped.

There was silence.

Anakin then turned to her, “There has always been one thing I have had in mind for quite some time.”

Padmé raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”

“So, you do know about how Ahsoka would basically be Obi-Wan and Sabé’s child once they marry?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “What about it?”

“Well, that reminded me of what I was usually thinking.”

“Which is…?”

“I have been thinking that you seem to have settled in fairly well now, and with that, we might as well begin to settle down. At the back of my mind, I’ve always dreamt of raising children. I usually daydream of that if I am not busy doing work. I am not sure if I’d make for a good dad, but like I said, it’s always been something I have wanted, especially with you.”

“I think you’d make a great dad,” Padmé whispered. “I think you’d be one of the best, actually, if not the best.”

“You’re too kind,” he laughed.

She laughed, too.

She then bit her lip, “So, you want to have kids?”

He scoffed, “Did I not already make that obvious earlier?”

She sighed dramatically, “Well, that’s a relief. I was about to tell you about it in a few minutes’ time.”

His eyes widened, “W-what do you mean?”

“I was really hoping you would be happy about the fact that I’m pregnant.”

He shook his head in disbelief before smiling, “Of course, I am.”

He leaned over to kiss her. Padmé laughed as they did, happy with how things have transpired. Her life was turned upside down over the course of a Christmas season, but she knew she would be happy with how it’s going now. She knew she would love her new life.

And, she knew he would love it, too.


End file.
